


To Thaw a Wild Heart (Original chapters 1-29)

by rachetelsakicksass



Series: To Thaw a Wild Heart [2]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Elsanna - Freeform, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Romance, shape-shifter au, shape-shifter!Elsa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-03-10 02:02:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 129,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3272699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachetelsakicksass/pseuds/rachetelsakicksass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <strong>
    <span>ELSANNA (kindof shape-shifter!Elsa) While returning to the castle late one summer night, Anna stumbles upon a living myth. Setting Elsa free throws her life upside down, but it was the best bad decision she ever made.</span>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">
        <span>(ORIGINAL CHAPTERS (1-29) FROM MY FF ACCOUNT)</span>
      </span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Chance Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen.  
>  **

A blowing rain lashed Anna's face as she spurred her horse across the swollen stream. She tugged her hood closer around her face and muttered curses to the weather. Her saddle slipped to and fro on her horse's soggy hide, the beast as soaked and grumpy as its rider. A gust of wind sent wet leaves flapping around them like a flock of dead birds.

She didn't know how long she’d slept, but judging from the blackened sky and the ache in her stomach, it must have been a while. Her father would be sitting near the fire in the dining hall sipping mulled wine and entertaining the dignitary who  _she_ was supposed to be meeting tonight.

She gave the reins a sharp tug towards a less steep path. She had no interest in slipping down a hill and breaking a leg. It was a longer route, and not one she often used, but she was in no rush to get home. Her father would be equally furious if she returned now or an hour later.

The trees grew thicker, their gnarled roots threading under the mud. Each of her steed's tired steps were sucked down by the wet earth until it finally halted, its trembling chest heaving between Anna's thighs. "Come on, boy, just a little farther. We're almost there," she encouraged, patting its sopping mane.

She prompted it forward, and it reluctantly obliged. Squinting the rain out of her eyes, Anna spotted a slope that would lead them to higher ground. 

They were almost out of the mud when her stallion stopped again, ears snapping to attention. Anna groaned and lightly kicked her heels. "Why did you stop now? A clean road home is literally right  _there_ ," she said, barely able to hear herself over the howling wind. The horse remained still.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Fine. Be that way." She tossed a leg over the saddle and landed knee-deep in the mud. She squirmed when mud squelched between her toes. She took hold of the reins and led the horse forward. "The things I do for you—"

The reins pulled taut, yanking her shoulder back at a painful angle. The damn horse was still standing there, anxiously pawing the sodden earth. " _Please_ don't make this difficult.” The horse valiantly resisted, its mud slick legs flailing for traction while Anna dug in her heels, leaning so far back for leverage that she was nearly parallel to the ground.

Anna had won only a few inches of ground before her horse suddenly yanked its head back. It bit its bridle and desperately struggled to get out of her hold. "Come _on_ , ya big _baby_." She gritted her teeth and gave the slick reins another tug. The beast screamed and reared back, tossing her into the mud with an undignified ‘ _splash_ ’ before it raced away.

She quickly sat up and spat mud out of her mouth. "Wait, no no no come back!"

Anna groaned as she watched her mount vanish between the trees. She blew her bangs back to slap against her skull and rolled her tongue around the gritty mud in her mouth.

It wasn't like she couldn't find her way back. She knew every rock and tree and bend in the forest like the back of her hand. It was her sanctuary. She often came out here to get away from her duties, if not for just a little while.

But it was a whole new world at night. It felt less like a sanctuary and more like something the saints had to bless at the witching hour. The trees, so much taller now without the added height of her steed, leered over her like giant shadows, their knotted faces sneering down at her and their clawed branches reaching out to grab her. She quickly got to her feet, trying and failing to suppress a shiver when a glop of mud slid down the back of her once green dress.

Her wet wool cloak clung to her sodden and itching, and her hood fell back off her head, filled with mud. "O-Okay…," she murmured into the wind. A fresh wave of rain blinded her.

She gathered up her mud-caked skirts and trudged up the slope. Her steps were high and awkward from having to lift her knees to her chest at every step. More than once she lost her footing and plopped into the mud.

A snarl from behind her made Anna stop dead in her tracks, her heart leaping into her throat. Kristoff had always warned her that a stray wolf or bear would do her in. _Oh nooo, gods forbid I ever listen to my knight_. 

She scrambled up the hill, slipping on the water-heavy grass. She was about to continue her getaway when the growls jumped in front of her. Then beside her. Then behind. Then front again.

Anna frantically spun in a circle. The wind howled about her and her breathing quickly became sporadic. The sounds were coming from everywhere. She was surrounded.

_ No. It's just the wind. It's playing tricks on me. It's just the win— _

A roar-like scream nearly made her jump out of her skin. Screaming so loud that her own ears rang, Anna dove to the ground, covered her head, and waited for whatever was stalking her to come crashing through the trees, maw mashing and claws ripping through her soft flesh.

She slowly opened her eyes when she found her head still attached to her shoulders. She listened for her carnivorous pursuers, but all she could hear was the dull thump of her pulse rapidly pounding in her ears.

The wind died down to a small gust. The sounds died with it.

Anna shakily got to her feet. When still there was silence, she laughed. It was a small, nervous sound that quickly morphed into a full belly laugh that would make any man question her sanity.

"I must be losing it!" She turned and continued onward, not caring anymore about the mud caking her body.

The scream came again, accompanied by a chorus of growls so animalistic that it was impossible to mistake them for a heavy wind.

_ Is…Is someone being attacked?! _

She nearly kicked herself at the realization. She was too busy being a coward to actually  _listen_  to what she was hearing. What if they needed help? What if they were hurt? They're too far from the castle for anyone to hear them—

Well, she was here.

_ I have to help them. _

But what would she do? What  _could_  she do? Hell, who was she kidding. She would probably end up  _helping_  them get _killed_.

She should just ignore it. Just ignore it and go home.

The scream came again, the note of pain in its tenor making Anna's stomach twist to the point that she thought she'd be sick.

_ What are you doing?! _  she screamed at herself as her legs pelted her towards the scream.

It took a few minutes of running in circles until she was able to correctly pinpoint where the sound was coming from. It wasn't too far from where she lost her horse. 

She climbed a slope into a cluster of high bushes and pines. She shivered when the next wind that hit her was cold, and for a second she forgot it was late summer. The growls and human— _female_ , she realized—yelps of pain were coming from just beyond the bushes.

Anna crouched, ignoring the pointed leaves that snagged her skin and thanking the gods that she was downwind so that her scent would be masked. There was a sound of struggling, of snarls and splashes of mud. With her curiosity now overriding her fear, she turned her head an inch at a time from behind the bush.

The first thing she noticed was the ice. It stuck to every surface in a thick sheet, consuming the forest inches at a time in an otherworldly uniformity. It moved like it was a living organism, creeping up the trees and along the ground in a pulsing movement from some unseen heart. She released a shaky breath and was only half-surprised when it came out as a white puff.

" _Ahhhh!_ " Anna's attention snapped to the figure struggling in the nearly frozen mud. With a flick of their wrist, an  _ice dagger_  materialized in their hand. It was quickly stabbed at the person's ankle, the piercing screech of unyielding metal making Anna cringe. An irritated, wolf-like growl tore from the figure's throat as they threw aside the now broken tool.

Anna sat and stared while her mind reassessed her current reality and got her motor functions back into working order.

She of course  _tried_  to be scared after she realized that she was  _not_  dreaming and that there was actual real-life non-fiction completely authentic and true  _magic_  happening before her eyes. That was, after all, the  _normal_  reaction.

So naturally, she stifled a giggle in the back of her throat and jumped a bit when butterflies paraded her stomach. She couldn't help it. It was like she was watching a scene from one of the tales Gerda told her in her girlhood. The ice pulsed in parallel to the person's movements, sudden jagged spurts erupting when they growled or threw something. It was as if it were an extension of their being, like they and the ice were the same living force.

And the  _sounds_ they made _._

They must be a god who decided to take on human flesh. It was the only logical...well,  _possible_  explanation. Gerda told her many stories of Odin taking on animal and human form while on Earth or of Loki shifting into a hawk to aid his travels. Maybe this one changed from animal to human and forgot which one it was?

The figure grunted and turned, giving Anna a clear view of their profile. It was a woman, though she was caked in so much mud that the only indication of her gender was the slope of her breasts under her tattered clothes and the octave of her earlier screams. Her long, loose hair stuck down her back, slick with mud and knotted with foliage.

The woman bared her teeth and growled, the deep sound grinding through Anna's ears like crushed stones and making her skin crawl with the instinctive urge to _get the hell away from there_. Her mind reeled as the butterflies in her stomach quickly twisted into a cold knot.

Oh.

That...That sound was far too terrifying to come from an animal. Disguised god or not, an animal can only behave in the realms of its natural abilities.

This was a beast all to its own caliber.

The  _woman_  tried and failed to pry open the bands of metal ensnaring her ankle. Her hands faintly glowed an unnatural blue, and a chiming hum filled the air as frost twisted around the metal.

_ Is that a...a game trap? _

Anna would have laughed if she didn't already know that the supposed woman could kill her without much trouble, even if she was immobilized. It's strangely fitting that a person acting so animal-like would be caught like one.

The woman released the metal with a frustrated roar, rubbing her sore palms. She scooted closer to the trap and tenderly lifted her snared foot to the side, revealing the short chain beneath it that anchored it to a weight buried in the ground. She grabbed the chain with both hands, took a deep breath, and pulled until the chain groaned.

"Come on...," Anna found herself whispering. She couldn't help but empathize with the woman…deadly creature…thing. The trap was meant for some common game, but she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  _Looks like we have that in common._

Anna felt her hope for her freedom falter as the woman grew desperate, yanking as hard as she could though her efforts yielded nothing. She kept at it until her muddied hands lost their grip and she fell back, yelping when she jarred her ankle.

The rain continued to pelt around them, the frost cracking and reforming after every drop of warm rain.

The woman gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. She  _howled_  in anger—and what almost sounded like grief—and flung her arm to the side, a thick wave of jagged ice consuming the trees like a frozen ocean wave breaking on a boulder.

She waited for her angry panting to subside before she let her outstretched arm plop into the mud. She stayed like that for a long minute before she sat up and longingly stared at her trapped foot. Her shoulders slumped and her chin fell to her chest, a keening whine like a beaten animal gritting past her clenched teeth before choking into a whimper.

Anna would have sworn she was crying had the rain not made it hard to tell. The woman looked like she was resigning herself to death, as if she were an exhausted hare waiting for whoever set its trap to put it out of its misery.

_ Well, one look at the winter wonderland of horror she made and nobody would hesitate to kill her… _

A light snow began to fall.

The woman's grief sapped into Anna like water into a bleached sponge. The princesses' skin grew too tight and the heavy stone settling in the pit of her belly nearly made her nauseous.

_ She can't just...give up _ , Anna thought, the woman's utter defeat constricting her chest like an iron maiden and forcing the air from her lungs.

She quietly shuffled her sleeping feet, the static in her toes temporarily relieving her from her empathy. She knew she should be afraid of the woman. She was an abomination to nature, not god or human or animal. Every cell in Anna's being screamed for her to run because the woman didn't belong here. Not in Arendelle, not in this world. She was just...she was a  _monster_.

_ You don't know that _ , Anna told her shaking hands.  _You…You can't look at a pool and say it's shallow before stepping in it. She could be friendly._  The redhead took a deep breath, and it blew away a bit of her shaking.

The woman stretched out her leg. In a flash of soft blue light, a large knife materialized in her hand. It was a thick curved blade, nearly transparent where it sharpened to a point. For a second Anna found her hope again. However, there was no need for the woman to be biting a stick. And the look her cool blue eyes made when she glanced between the blade and her foot was a little concerning.  _Is she…_

Anna's breath hitched as the woman drew her arm back to deliver the amputating blow.

_ " **Stop!** " _ she screeched, jumping out of her bush.

The woman's head whipped around so fast that Anna felt her own neck twitch. Her look of surprise and almost fear quickly morphed into a snarl that made her look more animal than human. She threw the knife, the ice shattering into a dozen smaller blades as it sped towards its redheaded target.

_ Nope! Not friendly! Definitely  _ ** NOT ** _ friendly! _

Anna treaded mud as she frantically ran to cover. A deep slice to her cheek made her stumble, and just as she regained her footing, another larger volley of ice pelted towards her. She screamed and jumped behind a tree. A pit of terror knotted in her stomach when she both heard and felt the projectiles sink into the tree in several meaty thuds.

Anna choked on her breath when the air suddenly dropped to freezing. She watched with mounting horror as frost crept over her wet clothes in silver webs. She flexed her hands, and a thin layer of frozen rain cracked and fell off her skin before it was quickly replaced with another.

_ This is it. This is how I'm gonna die. _

She struggled to swallow back her panic. She just wanted to go home.

Her first string of pleas broke the knot in her throat and let her tears loose. "P-Please, I just—!" She was interrupted with more thuds, the shards of ice violently shaking her tree.

"I'm not g-going to hurt you, I—!" There was a strange whizzing sound, and Anna screamed when she found herself flanked by two large fans of angry spiked ice.

"K-Kristoff...," she sobbed, desperately wishing that her knight would appear to save her. Like he always did when she screwed up.

Why did she come here. She should have just gone home. Kristoff would have just gone home. Anyone else but  _her_  would have just gone home.

_ Papa... _

She didn't realize she was sobbing in earnest until she could hear herself. Her choked weeping echoed around the icy hollow.

_ …No. _ Anna bit the inside of her cheek until blood pooled over her tongue. _I’m not going to cry. I am the princess of Arendelle, dammit!_

Anna gave herself thirty-two seconds to calm her breathing, forcing herself into rational thought and almost ignoring the ice creeping around her.

She had a plan. It was a stupid plan, but it was her only plan. And if she stayed still for much longer, there would be no more tree for her to hide behind.

When there was another pause in the attacks, Anna quickly stepped out from behind the tree, hoping that her face didn't give away how terrified she was.

Like a wild animal, the growling woman was defensively crouched, clearly uncomfortable with being out in the open while she fought off a potential threat. Her jewel-like eyes gave Anna a curious glance-over before her magic swirled around her wrists.

"If you want to kill me, _fine_! D-Do it! But just so you know, that without me, y-you can't get out!" she yelled, her shrill voice sounding just as pathetic and squeaky as she feared it would. She could see the tree she had been hiding behind at the edge of her vision. If the ice wasn't meant to kill her, she would have thought it beautiful. But, seeing as that wasn't the case, she couldn't help but shudder at the size of the spikes impaling the bark.

She searched the woman's face for any reaction to her words, but the only cue for her to continue speaking was the lack of ice flying at her.

She swallowed dryly, hoping her voice wouldn't waver this time. "T-That's right. I-I know how to get you out of that thing." The woman growled, and the humming glow of magic between her hands brightened. "B-But even if I can't, you're going to die anyway. I don't think whoever set that would let a…a-a…," she stuttered. "H-He just wouldn't let you go, okay? You can kill me and your one chance of getting out of here and t-then die yourself, or you can let me try and get you out."

_ Or you could just kill me and cut off your foot... _

She tried not to think about that. If the woman was willing to hack off a limb to avoid being found, then why would she even consider her offer? Well…she could agree to let her help and  _then_  kill her. 

Anna swallowed hard, her endless optimism beginning to fail her.

Icy blue eyes bored into frightened teal, their gaze revealing nothing about what the woman was thinking. A thick bead of blood ran down Anna's cheek. The magic in the woman's hands continued to swirl, its rhythmic hum almost soothing over the roar of the rain.

The woman finally lowered her hands, her face a distrustful scowl and a growl rumbling deep in the back of her throat. The temperature rose fractionally, the frost on the mud and trees melting to dew and mixing with the rain.

Anna didn't move right away.  _I…I can't believe that worked…_  She took a step forward, completely expecting it to be her last. When she found herself _not_ impaled, she nearly jumped for joy. But she was careful to keep her movements deliberate and slow as she approached the woman, praying that her innate clumsiness wouldn't get her killed. The woman uncomfortably shifted on the ground the closer she got. 

The woman scooted away when Anna crouched near the chain, distancing herself as far as she could physically manage without straining her ankle. She growled, and her magic hummed around her hands in a quiet yet powerful threat. Anna tried to think nothing of it, just as she tried to think that her hands were shaking because of the cold.

The metal bands dug deep into the woman's skin, the flesh around it puffed up in disgusting shades of red while blood oozed from the open wound and caked with mud around the trap. Anna ran her hands over the metal as she inspected the snare. The woman snapped up and snarled at her when she accidentally brushed her shin, the movement as quick and aggressive as a cobra strike. "S-Sorry!"

Careful not to make any physical contact  _whatsoever_ , Anna tilted the trap to look at its underside. She gave an audible "Ah-ha!" when she spotted the tension mechanism. She twisted and pulled the pin that held it together. The woman winced when she accidentally jarred the trap, but the princess didn't stop until the pin was free and the tension holding her ankle was released.

Anna smiled so broadly that her cheeks ached.  _YES! I did it!_  She tossed the pin and wiped the rain and sweat that had gathered on her brow. "That wasn't so—"

The sudden feeling of bark against her back forced the air from her lungs, and the cold hand squeezing her throat kept her from refilling them. She grabbed the offending arm, digging her nails into the corded muscle that easily held her in place. She felt frost crawl around her throat and up her jaw.

The woman bared her teeth in a pointed snarl, her sharp canines peeking over her lower teeth. Her free hand hummed with icy magic that promised to be used. She certainly didn't seem like she was a head taller when she was sitting down, but now that she was leering over her, Anna found that she had underestimated her in more ways than one.

Anna felt a tear run down her cheek. She knew she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. The woman wanted no witness.

She was going to kill her.

The woman's face lowered until their noses almost touched. Her snarl receded to a threatening growl though it was no less terrifying. Her narrowed eyes flickered over Anna's reddening face, her nostrils flaring and her mouth parted. Her grip loosened to give the princess just enough air to wheeze.

Black spots danced at the edge of Anna's vision, the world around her narrowing to the arctic gaze intently staring at her. She waited for something to happen—an icicle to sprout from her chest, her neck to snap, her body to freeze—but the woman just  _stared_ at her.

The black crowding her vision turned to stars when the back of her head smacked against the tree. The pressure on her throat disappeared. Her shaky legs gave out beneath her, and she slumped to the ground, her open mouth gulping greedy amounts of oxygen.

Her head lolled to the side, her blurry eyes frantically searching for the woman.

But to her relief, she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Thoughts? If you could drop a review that would be awesome (it won't hurt your fingers, I promise), but if you can't, I still luv u:3 **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	2. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Thank you to all who reviewed and favorited:D **
> 
> ** On to chapter two! **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Anna's bare feet pounded over the plush carpet, but her heart pounded harder. Moonlight poured through the windows, splitting the shadows of the hall into black curtains while paintings and suits of armor of long dead ancestors passed by her in a dull blur.

Fear crawled up her back, bristling the hairs on her neck. She swore she could hear those footsteps chasing just behind her, hunting her down like a hawk closing in on its prey. A shiver bolted up her spine when something brushed her elbow. Her squeal of terror was choked down when her chest constricted, and her pace somehow sped up to an inhuman capacity.

The heat sapped from her body, and a growl rumbled deep in her ears.

She skidded around a corner, not expecting a wall to meet her face. For a second she thought she was dead. The pain from her lungs and legs dulled to the flat-line ring shrieking in her ears.

The world came rushing back when hands grabbed her arms to steady her from falling. She screamed, but the sound was more like a squeak since her lungs were too busy shriveling to nothingness.

The scent of stables and grass filling her nose made her resist the urge to struggle.

"Anna?!" exclaimed a familiar voice, concern dripping from each syllable. Gauntleted arms gave her a gentle shake. The small dent in the knight's chestplate starkly contrasted with the large red mark bruising the princess' forehead. She panted like a dog in the middle of summer, but her widened eyes and unconcern for the blow she just took told him she was okay.

Without her fiery hair to distinguish her, Kristoff would have thought her a beggar in her torn, muddy dress. "Wha—Where the hell were you? We were going to send a search party when Sitron came back without you!"

Anna swiveled her head behind her and leaned out of his grip. She expected ice to be lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling, but all she found was an empty hallway.

Relief hit her like a tidal wave, and she would have cried if the adrenaline and liquid fear running through her veins weren’t keeping her tense.

She pointed a shaky hand over her shoulder and patted the metal on Kristoff's arm. "Kris...K-Kristoff! _*pant pant*_ there's…there's this—"

"Your father is going to  _kill_ you! Do you have any idea how worried—" Her knight's honey eyes squinted at the gash on her face. "Wha…What did you _do_?! _"_ he demanded, his voice hiking an octave. Anna shivered when his cold chainmail glove wiped the blood clotting over her wound.

She swatted his hand away. "'m  _fine_ …But magic—"

"I am so dead when your father sees this. First the accident with the pies, now this? I can't protect you if you keep running away, Anna. I know you need your alone time, but if you keep hurting yourself like this, I swear to the gods I'll—"

"Kristoff!" she yelled, making the blonde quiet. She grabbed his upper forearms in a vice grip. "Can you  _please_  just listen to me for three seconds? There's a—"

 _"Who's there?"_ boomed a voice from down the hall.

Anna rolled her eyes. Her fear for her life quickly morphed to an urge to pull out her hair. "Oh for the love of—P-Papa."

Her father stood in the doorway of his study. Candlelight leaked out from behind him, and his reading spectacles sat at the bridge of his nose. "Anna?" he questioned, his voice full of a hope and relief that made Anna's stomach churn with guilt.

One of his eyebrows arched at her appearance. Her dress was torn to shreds, her hair was sodden a dark orange, and mud stuck to her like chips of paint on a century old painting.

Anna shrank back when his teal eyes lit with fury. _"Anna…"_

His mustache tilted in a snarl as strode forward, the medals on his black uniform swaying with the violent motion. The study’s oak door slammed behind him. "I hope you have a  _very_  good explanation for where you have been, young lady. Do you have any idea what time it is? I—what happened to your face?"

"Papa! There was this person—well, not really a _person_ —but anyways, there was this person, and they were stuck, and I tried to help but then they were all ' _grrrr_ ' and I was like _'no wait_ ' and then they did this thing like _'pew pew pew_ ' and i-it was magic! A-And—"

King Agdar sighed, taking off his spectacles and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Anna, this is not the time for another one of your stories. Do you have  _any_   _idea_  what I—" he caught himself raising his voice and stopped. He never liked to yell at is daughter, no matter what she did. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, some of the red in his face leaving when he exhaled. "Anna, a young gentleman sailed for _two days_ to get here for the sole purpose of meeting you—"

"But she's still out there! Papa, I'm telling the truth—"

"—today. As princess, or even as a person of good character, you cannot brush off courtesy—"

"—if you just let me explain—OH! Or you could send a sear—"

 _"ENOUGH!"_ King Agdar shouted, his baritone voice echoing through the empty hallway. The whites of his eyes stood in stark contrast to the ripe red of his face. A vein bulged on his forehead, looking ready to pop any second.

Anna flinched, and she suddenly felt vulnerable with Kristoff no longer at her side. She cautiously opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted.

"I have tried again and again to be nothing less than understanding of your eccentrics, Anna. The stories, your reckless frolicking about outside the castle—" He raised a hand as if to make a motion, but it only made it to his chest level before balling into a shaking fist. He pinned her with a glare. "Enough is enough. You are my daughter. You are a _princess._ You have a duty to this country and to our people, and yet you throw aside that duty as if it were a displeasing  _game_  to you."

The tips of Anna's ears burned red hot. She tried to scrape up the courage to at least keep his gaze as he spoke, but she couldn't stop her visible flinch, her head sinking to her chest.

Agdar sighed in frustrated defeat. "…Why do I even bother?" Anna heard him mumble, the ensuing guilt making her wish that a hole would open beneath her feet and swallow her away from the castle—from Arendelle.

Timid footsteps approached them. "…Is…Is everything alright, Your Majesty?" asked a new voice.

The three turned their heads to the newcomer. Anna couldn't make out much of him in the dark, but his figure was tall.

King Agdar's demeanor flipped like a switch, a political skill beaten into him from years of diplomacy. "Prince Hans," he stated, surprise evident in his voice. He straightened his posture and clicked his black boots together. "I apologize if our conversation woke you. Just a minor miscommunication."

Hans was quiet for a handful of seconds. Though she didn't pay him any attention, Anna could feel his confused eyes looking at her less than proper appearance. She shuffled away from him. "My apologies, Your Majesty. I did not mean to interrupt—"

"Oh no, you were not interrupting at all. We were just _finishing."_ He shot Anna a meaningful glance. "Did you need something?"

The tall figure strode over, his steps long and meaningful. He ran a hand through his auburn hair, and the silk of his white suit swished as he walked, the golden tassels on his shoulders and the purple sash across his chest indicative of royalty.

"Yes, sir. I just received word from my father that he needs me back in the Southern Isles immediately. There is some quarrel among the nobles, and he wishes me to mediate."

"That's absurd. Can he not ask one of your brothers? It would be a shame for you to cut your visit short when you only just got here."

"Yes, but he insists. My brothers tend to be a little blunt, and I have the best favor with their families. They are a handful of the larger houses in our kingdom. Their guard is practically a small army, so the situation must be dealt with delicately."

Anna saw a muscle twitch on her father's jaw. His fingers toyed with the golden cufflinks on his uniform, a bad habit of his for whenever he was beginning to get frustrated. "I pray the outcome will be in your father's favor. Needless bloodshed should always be avoided. When is your departure?"

"Early tomorrow morning, according to my shipmaster."

King Agdar knowingly nodded, as if he was approving the decision. "Well then, my daughter and I will join you for an early breakfast and see you off at dawn."

"I would love nothing more, Your Majesty. I am very much looking forward to meeting her."

"Ah…How ugh…How foolish of me." He reluctantly stepped aside so Hans and Anna were facing each other. "Allow me to introduce my daughter, Princess Anna."

Hans’ eyebrows shoot up. "Please forgive me for not recognizing you, Princess!" He bowed. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Prince Hans of the Southern Isles." He slipped his glove around her fingers and kissed the back of her hand, politely ignoring the rain water.

Anna blushed. "I'm A-Anna. Well, I guess you already knew that, but i-it's very nice to meet you as well." She cleared her throat to try and get rid of her awkward. "I'm really sorry I missed dinner with you. I had a, um…a thing."

Hans chuckled, and Anna felt her face burn with sudden embarrassment. "It's no problem at all, Your Highness. Everyone needs a moment of respite." He eyes lit in amusement. "I just wish mine were as eventful as yours seem to be. I apologize for overhearing, but I believe you said something about a monster in the forest? Sounds like quite the interesting tale."

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by her father harshly clearing his throat. He shot her a glare, daring her to continue her rant from before.

She seriously thought about telling Hans anyways, her father be damned.

But he already had more than enough to be disappointed in her about. Why add more fuel to the fire?

"It…It was nothing," she mumbled, picking at a loose lock of wet hair stuck to her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. "Just, uh…just a stray dog I mistook for a wolf. I got scared and fell off my horse." She wiped her bleeding cheek with the back of her hand. "And cut myself on a rock."

Hans had nothing to say to that, but Anna had to give him credit for trying to keep the awkward to a minimum. She looked up to find his eyes, a queer shade of green, and he coughed, folding one of his hands behind his back. "…Oh." He held her gaze for a moment longer before politely smiling. "Well I'm glad it was just a dog and not a wolf. There's no telling what a wild animal can do."

Anna subconsciously rose her shoulders. "Yeah…"

Hans was about to say something more, but was interrupted by the patter of feet quickly approaching them. A portly man in a servant's uniform paused when he saw the four of them before he hustled to whisper something in the king's ear.

King Agdar sighed. "…chooses to come at this ungodly hour…" He turned to the two and clasped his hands together. "Well, the hour is very late, and I am sure you are quite tired from your travels, Prince Hans. Kai can show you back to your room." He gestured to the servant beside him, and he bowed. "If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, sir." Hans bowed. "Goodnight, Princess," he said before following Kai, his voice a little too soft to be taken as a cordial pleasantry.

"And Ser Bjorman," the king boomed to the blonde knight respectively standing off to the side. The blonde stepped forward and snapped to attention. "Please escort my daughter to her room."

Anna reached for her father's arm. "Papa, I…" Her heart ripped like a piece of sodden paper when he turned on his heel and marched back to his study, not sparing her a glance.

The door slammed, and Anna ducked her head. A dark pool of mud and water stained the carpet where she stood. Kristoff said something, probably a condolence of some sort. She felt his hand lightly push between her shoulders to guide her down the hall like a lamb that strayed too far from its pen.

"She really was there," she mumbled, her voice laced with a defeated whine.

Kristoff nodded. "I know, I know…"

"She was…I don't know what she was. She was terrifying, mostly. And aggressive and violent and mean. Especially mean. Like an animal or something. She literally _growled_  at me."

"I know…"

She rubbed her surprisingly unbruised neck, tracing where cold fingers dug into her throat. "I really thought she was going to kill me…"

"Hmm..."

Her hand fell back to her side. "I wish Papa would've listened. It's not another prank, honest. I know he's busy being king and all, but I'm telling the truth. "

Kristoff grunted, the sound slurred into a yawn.

"And he—Are you even listening to me?"

Kristoff hesitated. "…Yeah."

Anna pursed her lips, her brow angled in a scowl. She swatted his hand away. He blinked in surprise at the sudden act and dumbly watched her storm away before he chased after her. "Hey, wait up!"

Anna gritted her teeth, her face burning from…embarrassment? Anger? Both? She didn't care. What she felt didn't matter, apparently. She was princess of the largest country of the North, future ruler of millions of people, and yet when she spoke she might as well have been talking to a wall.

Her angry strides were cut off when a man, if he could be called that, walked in front of her from one of the halls running perpendicular to the one she was in. She dug her heels into the rug and came to an abrupt halt.

She was not in the mood for pleasantries. "Hey, watch where you're—"

Her jaw fell slack at the sight of the human mountain. A few dozen cows had to have been killed to clad him in the surplus of leather layering him from head to foot. His jaw was littered with patches of beard that matched the greasy ebony locks on his head. His eyes, a bleached grey that looked almost white, were hidden deep in their sockets under a hood of bushy eyebrows.

Her mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish. His neck was as thick as an ox's, and his trunk-thick arms looked like they could easily break her in half.

"Anna!" Kristoff ran to her side. He gave the stranger a glance over with narrowed eyes. "I don't recognize you from the staff. Who are you? Who let you into the castle?" he demanded in a clear voice.

Ignoring Kristoff, the man leered uncomfortably close to Anna, his marble eyes blazing with scrutiny as they raked over her body. The smell of salt and sweat made her hold her breath. She shrank under his examination, the intensity of his gaze making her feel like she was naked before him.

His eyes lit up and darted to hers, the pupils an unnerving point in a sea of greyish iris. "Ah, ya must be Adgar's daughter," he ground through rotten teeth, his voice like sandpaper on stone. His face, sunburnt to a brown leather, wrinkled into a lopsided smile. "What's a young lass like you roamin' the halls at night fer?"

Kristoff stepped in front of her. "I asked you a question." He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. "Who. Are. You."

The man huffed and straightened up. If Kristoff was intimidated by the foot in height difference, he didn't show it. "Stop growlin', boy. And get yer hand off yer sword before ya lose it." He shoved Kristoff aside. "Hotheaded badger…," he mumbled.

Kristoff tripped over his own feet and fell into a heap on the floor. Anna turned on the man. "Hey! Who do you think you are? Explain yourself, or I'll call the guards!" she yelled. Her blonde knight scrambled to his feet and drew his sword.

"Ah, hotblooded just like ya father," the man laughed. "Must be the hair. And if ya guards are anythin' like blunder-boy-wonder here, I don't think I've reason to worry meself. But since ya asked so nicely…" He stepped back and gave a mockingly deep bow. "The name's Edgar Quade, but folks call me Crow. Long story ta that one, but I won't bore ya." He dismissively waved a hand at Kristoff who took a step forward. "Put that thing away, boy, before ya hurt yerself."

"Don't call me _boy,"_ Kristoff hissed. He raised his sword to Crow's chest, the metal tip scratching thick leather.

Anna clenched her hands into fists, her muscles tense and ready to sprint. "How did you sneak into Castle Arendelle?" she demanded, holding her head high and trying to sound authoritative.

"Sneak in?" He laughed, a deep bellied noise that sounded like chopping meat. "Dearie, if I wanted ta sneak in an' slit ya throat, ya woulda been bleedin' on the floor hours ago. No, I'm an a…an acquaintance of Adgar's. I just happened to be in town, so I figured I'd pop in to conduct a bit o' business."

"That's  _King_  Adgar to you," Kristoff all but yelled. "And what business would you have with the king,  _pirate_ _,"_ he spat.

"Oh, you flatter me, boy, but I'm no pirate. Just happen to be on ships a lot, is all. I'm more of an odd-job bloke for the blue-blooded." He reached into one of the many pockets in his leather trench coat. "Ya father has me helpin' him deliver the king's justice," he said almost tauntingly. He pulled a piece of rolled paper from his coat to prove his point, the wax seal of Arendelle printed on its fold.

"…So he hired you to kill someone?" Anna asked, her eyes narrowed.

"A tad bit like that. Dead or alive, but circumstances provide that his quaery is better off brought in dead." He tucked the paper away. "But don't worry ya little head, Princess. Ya father's as honorable a man as he says he is. It's just another killer escapin' the noose."

"A murderer?"

"Aye. A monster more like. Rumor says it made a deal with the devil to freeze a man's heart. I've been huntin' the demon for over a decade now." Crow absentmindedly scratched one of the deeper scars on his face. "Little bitch always slips away..."

Anna's breath hitched, a vision of arctic blue eyes flashing through her mind.

Kristoff's hand squeezed her shoulder. "Come on, Anna, let's get out of he—"

"Wait!" She tore away from him. "U-Ugh…" she stuttered. "How…Who is…Who did she kill?"

Crow leaned down, almost amused. He swatted away the sword tip digging into his chest. "The little princess wants to know more about the big bad monster, eh? Why the sudden interest, deary?" Black fingernails poked out of a fingerless glove to scratch the stubble growing under his jaw.

Anna felt like she was choking on her tongue. The urge to tell him everything that happened was agonizing. _He_ would listen to her. _He_ would understand.

But…she couldn't. She didn't know whether it was her desire to get away from him or the way Crow talked about the woman, but she just didn't want to tell her secret anymore.

She wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Just curious…," she mumbled, her voice squeaking.

Her heart skipped when he didn't immediately answer. She could feel his eyes staring at her, almost like they were boring holes into her skull and reading her mind. She resisted the urge to step away from him.

Her muscles tensed to flee when he leaned in closer. "Hmmm…And I'm guessin' it's ya curiosity that told ya it was a _gal_? _"_

Anna drummed her fingers on her elbows. "N-No. You, ugh, called them a bitch so I just assumed…," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

Crow gave her a long stare, his eyes calculating. Anna held her breath.

"Hmph. Sharp one, you are," he said, straightening up. Anna exhaled, her body slumping with relief. "Well, it's past your bedtime, ya Highness. Goodnight," he abruptly said. He sauntered between her and Kristoff and waved back to them. "I'll be outta yer hair in the mornin'."

Kristoff scowled and murmured a curse under his breath. He nudged Anna forward and they continued down the hall.

Anna's mind hurt. So many thought were running through her head. She tried not to think about it, but the subject pulled her in like a magnet. The woman was wanted. She killed someone.  _Maybe that trap wasn't there by accident…_

"Hey, everything alright?"

Anna looked up at her knight, blinking away her thoughts. "What? No. Everything's fine. Nothing wrong," she hastily said, her fake smile paining her face.

Kristoff stopped in front of her door and smiled. "That's good. For a second there, I thought that guy scared you or something."

Anna half-heartedly shoved his shoulder. "It takes more than that to scare me.”  _Like an ice demon about to kill me._

They mumbled their goodnights before Anna closed her door. She gave her bathroom a glance as she walked past it, same to her wardrobe. She was too tired to do anything else but go to sleep.

She plopped onto her feather bed and buried her face in her pillow, the smell of jasmine and whatever other cleaning herbs used on her things pleasantly filling her nose. She didn't care if the mud and water ruined the comforter. She was tired. She was sad. She was confused. But she was happy to be alive.

 _She could have killed me after I helped her_ , she thought as her eyelids weighted down.  _She killed before. What stopped her now?_  She turned on her stomach and laced her fingers under her pillow.  _Maybe my bad luck is taking a turn for the better._

 

* * *

 

_Creak._

Anna's eyes snapped opened when she was on the verge of falling completely asleep. An unnerving chill danced down her spine, and the hairs on the back of her neck bristled.

Something was wrong. Something was off.

She turned over, blinking into the darkness of her room.

Before she could wipe the drool from her chin, a hand roughly covered her mouth. Her head was forced against the mattress, her pained yelp muffled into the palm pinning her down.

She wildly thrashed, but she might as well have been doing nothing. Her fists and feet met only air. She couldn't see her attacker. With the curtains closed, the dark was blinding.

She bit down and tasted leather. A glove. She clawed at it anyways, digging her nails into the naked arm holding her down. The man, judging it was a man from the thick hair on his arms, muttered a curse and clamped a cloth over her nose.

Anna fought all the more, panic howling in her mind from the lack of room to breathe. The thin stream of air she was able to get was strangely sweet. Her limbs grew heavy, and her struggles dulled to a mild squirm. She wanted to scream when her eyelids threatened to close, but the sudden lull of sleep overpowered her, and she fell into blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** I was going to add the next chapter to this one  _buuut_...cliffhanger was too tempting to pass up *muahahaha* **
> 
> ** Hope ya enjoyed. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	3. Not in Arendelle Anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Decided to dish this out since responses to the first two chapters were so awesome:D **
> 
> ** Enjoy. **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

_ Fear is a prison _ , Anna would tell herself, but that didn't make the fear go away. It was as much a part of her day as stale bread and the blisters on her toes after a long day of walking the hard, rutted road.

She thought she knew what it meant to be afraid, but she learned better on the end of a rope. Two days her captors made her walk before her legs gave out, too tired and malnourished to take another step.

They put her on a horse, but she would have preferred walking till the bones of her ankles grated the ground.

Her fingers tingled from lack of circulation, the tweed rope tying her to the saddle horn biting bloody rivets into her wrists. She pulled herself forward in the saddle, but the man sharing her seat pulled her back against his half-leather, half-armored chest.

She grimaced after every sway of their horse, her body tightly rubbing against the man behind her. He practically purred in her ear at the teasing friction while the hand around her waist kneaded her hip.

She wished she didn't have to say she grew used to it. They took turns sitting behind her like she was some exquisite ride.

They took her gag out the day before. Her futile struggles from their groping provided endless entertainment for them. Even if she were to scream, no one would hear her this far up the Northern Mountains.

Wherever they were taking her, they were in a rush to get there. They had been traveling almost non-stop, stopping only when it was too dark to see and rising with the sun. It was a hard schedule for her body to keep even without having to walk till her feet bled, but the four men keeping her captive seemed to be used to it. They were mercenaries judging from their brutish armor and weapons and their lack of sigil. 

The sun dipped below the horizon, and Anna shivered from the bone-deep chill unique to the Northern Mountains. Every day felt like the dead of winter, and she vaguely thought about how much longer it would take until her toes and fingers began to snap off.

The horses trotted into the thick of the forest. Pale birch trees surrounded them like quartz pillars, the dark grass below them littered with bald patches of hard soil. The man behind her reined their horse to a stop, and he and his three companions dismounted to set up camp. She longingly shivered as they unrolled their furs and pulled their coats closer around their bodies, but she refused to let her weakness show.

She was the princess of Arendelle, dammit.

Her bonds were cut from the saddle horn, and she was dragged off by an iron grip on her arm. She collapsed on the ground hard enough for the breath to knock out of her. Sausage-thick fingers grabbed her upper arms and forced her to stand on shaking feet.

"There, Morgan," one of the men mumbled, pointing to a sizable birch at the far side of the clearing. She was half-dragged, half-carried to the spot and dropped at the base of the tree. Her arms were wretched behind her, and she bit back a cry of pain when rope was once again pulled taut around her bleeding wrists.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand slipped under her dress and ran up the inside of her thigh. Her eyes grew wet and her lip trembled. She leaned into the tree, hoping she could somehow grow into the bark.

Morgan gave her a yellow grin. "Come now, don't be shy, sunshine…What happened to my fiery saddle gal?" he husked, his calloused hand creeping higher up her thigh. He laughed when she averted her eyes and submitted herself to the treatment. The bruise on her jaw still stung enough to remind her that struggling would get her nowhere.

His hand was kicked away by one of his companions. "Oi, you know the rules. No touching."

Anna immediately drew her legs to her chest and leaned as far away from the two men as her bonds would allow. The brunette who interrupted her molestation, Ulfric she believed his name was, let his gaze roam her petit figure. "If we could, I'd 'ave first dibs," he mumbled.

The look in his eyes—the look that Anna had become all too familiar with over the time of her capture—made her pull her legs impossibly closer while she choked on a whimper. Uflric let a sadistic smirk scar his face. 

It wasn’t too soon afterwards that her captors had a fire blazing, their sleeping blankets placed close to the flame and their palms swallowing its warmth. When the wind blew towards her, a bit of the fire’s heat faintly licked Anna’s face before her body resumed shivering.

Anna’s stomach fell when she saw Karl stumble towards her. He was a balding middle-aged man charged with giving her food and water. Or just barely keeping her alive, if she was being honest. 

By the light of the fire she could see the unnatural red his face had blossomed to. He grumbled at a rock and stupidly smiled when he took another swig of the bottle in his hand. Some of its liquid contents dribbled down his wiry beard.

He meant to kneel but rather fell to his knees beside her, bottle in hand. He thrusted it into her face and grunted, waiting for her to drink.

Anna shrank away. That obviously wasn't water.

Karl snarled. He grabbed her chin with greasy fingers and squeezed the hinge of her jaw. When she involuntarily opened her mouth in a cry of pain, he shoved the neck of the bottle into her mouth. The glass hitting the back of her throat made her gag.

Anna squirmed, legs uselessly flailing. She tried to pull away, but Karl grabbed a fistful of her hair to hold her in place and tilted her head back. He laughed as her face grew a beet red. 

Anna blindly cried, her throat growing raw as the scorching liquid burned down her throat. She coughed and her teeth painfully clanked against the glass. She tried to breathe, but the liquid pushing at the back of her throat wouldn’t let her.

"What the hell are you  _doing_?!"

The bottle was ripped from her mouth, and Anna coughed up what felt like a quart of liquid from her lungs. Her mouth tasted awful, and her throat felt like it was bleeding. Nausea clung to her mind like a thick blanket from the alcohol pooling in her empty stomach.

Karl laid on his back from where Ulfric kicked him, giggling and rolling like a turtle stuck on its shell. Ulfric quickly picked up the dropped bottle to try and salvage it contents. "That's my booze from Corona, ya drunk bastard!" he bellowed, kicking Karl in the side.

The momentum of the kick rolled Karl onto his stomach. He climbed to all fours, and his body lurched like a cat’s as he emptied his stomach on the ground. Bile rose in Anna's throat, and she looked away and held her breath, desperately trying not to be sick as well.

Across the camp, Morgan and her other captor laughed. Ulfric grabbed the back of Karl's coat and dragged him to his sleeping blanket. The drunkard fell asleep the second his head hit the hide.

The remaining three talked and ate, the alcohol running freely and their laughter echoing in the night. One of them had caught a rabbit, and Anna's stomach cramped with hunger when she smelled the cooked flesh.

She watched them fall asleep. It was a luxury she was denied with the pain in her body keeping her awake. Luckily the alcohol helped dull her mind to it. Her head lolled side to side of its own accord, and her vision was reduced to a blur of colors.

The wind whistled through the trees and rattled their leaves so calmly that it almost sounded like music. Anna giggled at the thought.

_ Trees…making leee…leeeaf music… _

She jumped when something brushed her bound hands. Her senses struggled to sharpen while her muscles instinctively tensed, and she opened her mouth to scream. She didn’t have time to think about how Ulfric and the others would beat her for waking them up. Not getting bitten by some wild animal was all she could manage to focus on at the moment. 

A cold hand clamped her mouth shut, her teeth narrowly missing her tongue. 

" _Shhh…_ " a voice hushed, its warm breath fanning over her ear.

Anna's blood ran cold. _Oh no. Nonononono…_ How did she not notice one of the men getting up? She knew it was only a matter of time before molesting her wouldn’t be enough for them. 

Anna forced her mouth open and bit down hard, beads of copper blood pooling over her tongue. Her attacker pulled back with a wince, but before they could shut her up again, she screamed.

Her captors jumped out of their beds, scrambling for their weapons and blinking away sleep. _All four_ of them turned to her, the look on their faces immediately making her wish she had just kept her mouth shut. Ulfric strode forward. "You're gonna regret that, you little cunt!" Anna curled in on herself in feeble defense as he swung his arm back to strike her.

He paused before the downward stroke, dumbly blinking at something behind her. "Wh—“

Something—no, _one_. Some _one_ pounced at him, their fist smacking into his face. Anna vaguely heard the cracking of bone and a pained gasp before he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Anna blinked hard, trying to force her senses to properly focus. 

_ W…What…?! _

Anna watched with blurry eyes as her remaining captors fought their attacker. All she could manage to see were silhouettes against the firelight. The attacker—the tall, thin shadow dodging the bigger ones—looked like they were dancing around the two remaining men like a leaf in the wind, striking blows and dodging attacks.

Anna couldn’t contain her giggle. _Trees…making dancing shadow leaves and…and leeeeeaf muuuuuuusic…_

Her head fell against her chest, and her breathing suddenly caught to a frightening rate, her vision doubling whatever she could barely see a few minutes ago. She heard pained yelps somewhere between the drumming of her pulse.

There was a hum. It made it a bit colder than it already was. It was a cold hum.

Anna cocked her head, trying to place the sound. A cold hum. She knew a cold hum. She…She was scared of the cold hum? 

_ But it’s so prett-tty… _

Before Anna knew it, there was silence. Her heart beat like a stone against her ribs, and the fire cracked and spat somewhere in front of her.

The ropes fell from her wrists. Her numb body fell forward without her bonds keeping her up, but a pair of hands gently caught her shoulders. She swallowed dryly in an attempt to quell her breathing but ended up in a fit of dry coughs.

She thought she heard a voice, but it was like it was speaking to her through water.

_ Underwater…leaf music hummmmm…I…dreaming? _

Yes. That had to be it. She was back in her bed in the castle, and Gerda would be knocking at her door any minute to tell her she overslept again.

Surely these past few days couldn’t have been real. 

An arm curled around her back and another beneath her knees, carefully picking her up. She was too tired to feel scared anymore. She didn’t want to feel scared. She didn’t want to feel anything at the moment. It hurt too much. 

She imagined she was floating.

Anna let her head fall onto the intense warmth she felt to her right. It smelled nice. She curled as close as possible to the source of solid heat and hugged her hands under her chin. She vaguely felt the painful tingling as blood rushed back into her fingers. 

The reminder of Anna’s consciousness slipped away, the calm thumping by her ear dragging her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Thoughts?:3 **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	4. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** By Odin's Beard, another update? I must be mad. **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen ** .

The horrible taste in her mouth was the first thing Anna noticed when she woke up.

She smacked her dry lips together. A thick coat of something terrible lined her mouth and stuck to her teeth. It tasted like a mixture of black liquorish and cough syrup.

She sucked at the disgusting film and begrudgingly swallowed it down, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. She groaned and turned on her side to bury her face in her pillow. She was surprised by how pleasant it smelled. It wasn't laden with the herbs and perfumes usually used to clean her things, rather being a fresh, earthy scent that smelled like breathing in sunshine.

Her mind fuzzed as her dreams picked up where they left off, but the cramping in her stomach forced her awake.  _Food…_ She pushed herself up on an elbow and stretched her jaw in a foul-smelling yawn. Her lighter than usual blankets slid down her side and bunched at her waist.

Then she opened her eyes.

_What…the hell…_

She was in a room, a tiny room that a person her height could cross from wall to wall in only a few strides.

Anna felt the wall. Her eyes widened when she pulled away moist black soil. To her right, sunlight wept through a wide hole in the corner of the ceiling.

The room was underground.

_How the—_

Then she remembered. The castle, the mercenaries, the walking, her rescuer...

She looked at her beaten wrists, tweed scars and green bruises covering the joints like repulsive bracelets. It hurt to flex a fist, but not bad enough to not do it. She looked pale, which was weird for her because she was such a naturally tan person. The foreign glow of cleanliness pulsing through her body led her to find the washbasin next to her bed. A wet rag hung off the side dripping water onto the dirt floor, and dark clumps floated at the rim of the murky grey water like black lilly pads.

A metal clang startled her. A woman squatted next to a fireplace and hung a beat-up pot on a metal rung over the flame.

Anna couldn’t help but gawk at the woman. She _definitely_ wasn't a vanilla Arendillian.

The pale woman looked only a few years older than her, but her hair was as pale as an elder's. Held in a low ponytail, it curled down her back and shone like polished silver. Her roughly spun clothes loosely hung to her body and looked more like abused burlap than cloth. Her sleeveless shirt had armholes large enough to show the cloth wrapping around her chest when she bent forward, and her pants, more like capris since they were too short, were torn and fringed at the seams. Her feet and ankles were wrapped in strips of cloth in place of shoes, as well as her hands and forearms.

Anna slowly blinked. Her memory was fuzzy, but she pieced together that this must be the person who saved her. Her first instinct was to thank her, but her recent experiences made her wary.

Her stomach had other plans. It growled like an awoken bear, and she reflexively wrapped her hands around her middle to shut it up.

The woman's head snapped around. Anna's breath caught in her throat.

It was those eyes again. Those icy eyes that stood out against pale skin and eerily shone in the firelight.

Anna flinched back like an animal trying to make itself small in front of its predator. Her hand curled to her chest and her shoulders rose to her ears. Where the woman's pants rose up from her squatting position, Anna saw a thick, knotted scar wrapped around her ankle.

The blonde stood up. She was so close that if Anna wanted, she could touch her with her foot. The woman glared at her, her stare a cross between a disinterested cat and a lion about to pounce its prey. Anna could feel her icy blues burning holes into her frightened pupils, but she was too frightened to look away.

She leaned into the wall, muscles tensed to almost cramping.

The blonde stared for another minute before she turned away. She grabbed a leather bag hanging from a jutting stone in the fireplace and took three strides to the ceiling hole that served as the exit. She looped the bag over her shoulders and swiftly climbed the ladder steps that were carved into the wall.

There was a sliding noise, a hum, a thud, and then silence, the crack and spit of the fire the only noise in the room.

Anna kicked off the blankets and ran across the room to follow where her new captor disappeared. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw the thick bars of ice sealing her in.

"Nononono…" She knew it wouldn't do any good, but she climbed up and tugged the bars anyways. They were harder than stone and slicker than glass. "No! You can't do this to me!" she yelled, but whether her grief was directed at fate, the gods, or the woman was anyone's guess.

She climbed back down to the dark earth of the room floor. She winced when her feet hit the ground, and she cocked her head when she noticed that her scabbing feet were wrapped in neat bandages.

Then it clicked. The blonde saved her. She washed her. She cleaned her wounds. Why?

 _If she wants me for something, I guess I'm no use to her dead_ , she solemnly thought.  _Unless she regrets letting me go and wants to finish the job. She could just be playing with me before she kills me. Like how a cat plays with a mouse._

Anna sighed. She just exchanged one cage for another.

The redheaded princess looked around the room. As long as her captor was away, she may as well snoop around. It wasn't like she had anything to lose.

There wasn't much in the room. Just a bed, a fireplace, and an animal pelt rug in the center. On the wall opposite the bed was what was supposed to be a dresser. It was nothing more than a few holes dug out of the wall.

Anna crouched to look into the earthen compartments. Most of them were empty, but some of them held rolls of furs. One had fire wood and spits. The holes at the top had roughly woven baskets in them that mimicked drawers.

She quirked an eyebrow as she browsed the contents of the mock dresser. Everything was strangely…organized. Flints were arranged in size pairs, furs were stacked by color and type, a lone pair of clothes was neatly folded …

Anna looked around the room. It was weird, too. The pile of stones that made the slanted fireplace were stacked in rough mimicry of the ones in the castle. Dried herbs as well as other hide bags and sacks hung from sticks wedged between the fireplace’s stones. The bed was a rise of sculpted earth with angles as straight as those carved to make the room’s walls.

 _Jeez…_ It was weird to see how organized and… _normal_ the woman was when just a few short days ago she was ready to tear out her throat. It was actually fairly cozy. The air was thick with earth and herbs, and the fire heated the room to a pleasant temperature that made her want to sleep.

_Well, at least it's not skulls and bones lying around an ice cave._

Anna opened another drawer. When she found a waterskin lying at the front, she grabbed it with speed enough to rival even the best pickpocket. She tossed her head back and chugged it down, the liquid life pouring down her throat and tasting finer than anything she ever had. Some of it ran down her neck and soaked the collar of her dress. Its coolness was a comforting contrast to the warmth of the room.

She only stopped drinking when she was sure she sucked out every last drop. Her belly swelled uncomfortably, but at least her tongue was no longer a shriveling raisin sticking to her mouth.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before she rummaged around the other drawers, hoping for food. She carelessly tossed around items, not bothering to keep the order that her captor must have painstakingly created. Something cold brushed her hand at the bottom of a basket, and her eyebrows rose to her hairline as she wrapped her hand around it.

_A knife._

She pulled it out. It was a small skinning knife that looked more like a pointed butter knife, but it was a weapon nonetheless.

She slowly closed the drawer, the gears in her mind working. She plopped down on the bed with her eyes glued to the weapon.

_I could…but what use would it be against magic?_

Sounds from the entrance pulled Anna from her thoughts, and she thrusted her hand under the pillow just as her blonde captor dropped down in a silent crouch. She glided across the room without sparing her a glance. Anna tensed when she opened one of the drawers and started rummaging items between it and the bag she was carrying.

_Dammit dammit dammit dammit…_

Anna tightened her grip on the knife. If she was going to act, she would have to act now. She would probably never get a chance with her captor's back turned like this again.

Bile rose in her throat at the thought of killing someone.  _I don't have to kill her…just…_

_What, hold her at knife point? Yeah, that'll work out great._

The woman opened another drawer. Anna choked on her breath when the blonde paused and cocked her head in confusion.

Anna freaked. So she lunged, knife high in the air to stab her in the back.

The blonde spun around and easily caught her wrist on the downward stroke. Anna winced when her fingers dug into the bruises on her wrist.

The woman stared down at her with that same stoic expression. She slowly blinked her eyes over to regard the knife in her hand. She tilted her head back and arched a delicate eyebrow at the redhead frozen in her grasp.  _Seriously?_  Anna practically heard her say, almost as if she were amused by her futile attempt.

Something about that look sparked a fire in her gut. That condescending, arrogant look that she received so frequently from snobbish royalty just utterly pissed her off coming from the blonde.

Anna gritted her teeth and swung her free fist to beat the metaphorical smirk off her face. Her anger only grew when her other wrist was grabbed with the same almost lazy ease as the first.

The corners of the woman's lips tilted into a frown. Her eyes narrowed like her father's did when he had enough of her antics.

Anna squeaked in pain when a cold hand squeezed her wrist holding the knife. The pain from her bruises flared terribly. She tried to pull away, but the woman squeezed harder until the knife fell from her hand and thudded onto the floor.

Anna fumed. Her face heated redder than her hair. She kicked the woman's shin with the underside of her heel.

The blonde gasped and bounced her weight to her other leg until the sting in her shin subsided. Her wide eyes stared down at Anna with the most unbelieving expression she had ever seen.

Anna smirked, her smugness completely inappropriate given her disabled position in the hands of a magical savage. But nonetheless, the brief victory felt worth it.

The woman straightened up to leer over her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and a growl rumbled from deep in her throat, its bass shaking in Anna’s ears.

Anna couldn't decide whether she was too stupid or too desensitized to be afraid at that moment as she pulled her leg back to deliver another kick. Gods and death be damned, she was _not_ going to be anyone's plaything any longer.

Her drawn back foot stumbled to catch herself when the woman pushed her backwards. Anna yelped and backpedaled until the back of her thighs hit the side of the bed. Her breath wheezed out of her lungs like a smith's bellow when the woman pressed her down against the blankets.

Her wrists were pinned beside her head, and her lower half hung off the bed. She kicked before blushing and thrashing harder when she felt the blonde leaning against her from in-between her thighs.

The woman hovered inches above her, her features back to their unsettling stoicness as she analyzed the redhead.

Anna tried a head-butt, but the woman easily dodged. The princess arched her body and uselessly tugged her wrists. She grunted and seethed when her efforts didn't loosen the woman's grip. She barely even budged. Anna may as well have been trying to drag a lame horse.

"Get _off_ me!" she snarled. " _Let me go_ , dammit!"

Surprisingly, she did.

Anna scrambled against the wall and curled her legs to her chest the second the woman released her, trying to distance herself as far away as possible. The blonde just stood nonchalantly.

"W-What do you _want_?!" Anna yelled, her voice breaking.

The woman winced. "You can stop yelling. I'd like to keep my hearing," she neutrally replied, her tone as calm as if they were talking about the weather but her voice hoarse and rusty like a sickly person.

Anna blinked incredulously.  _This_  was the animal that attacked her? This arrogant _clean-freak_? She almost asked her to make sure they were the same person, but the ice and the scar on her ankle were enough evidence to prove the unbelievable.

She curled closer around herself. "If you're going to kill me, then just do it," she spat. "I don't have time for any more mind games."

The blonde crossed her arms. "I'm not going to kill you."

"Then why are you keeping me here?"

"Who said I was keeping you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the ice caging me in?" She flung her arm towards the corner of the room.

The woman arched a curved brow. "My apologies. Would you like a bear to drop in for tea?"

Anna's next retort caught in her throat. "Oh…," she softly mumbled. She averted her gaze and shuffled in her seat, her face hot and her brow furrowed. "Then…Then why did you…?"

The woman rolled her eyes and walked back to the dresser. She rummaged a few more things out of the drawer and put them into the bag before tying the top. "Just getting even," she said. She threw the bag in Anna's lap. "But now my debt is paid. You know where the door is."

"Wait!" Anna squeaked when the woman turned away. She scrambled off the bed and joined her at the dresser. "How…How did you find me?"

The blonde ignored her. She looked at the ruined contents of her drawer and sighed before beginning to re-stack and re-organize everything.

Anna hugged the bag to her chest. "Did you follow me from Arendelle? Well, I guess  _I_  technically followed  _you_  since you live here. Speaking of which, why do you live underground? It's so tiny in here. And not very light. Not that it's entirely bad. It  _is_  pretty home-y."

The woman closed her eyes and took a calming breath before picking up a flint and putting it with its pair.

"It's kindof like a mole home. Or a rabbit home." Anna laughed, trying and failing to hide the sound behind her hand. "Sorry, but you would be a cute rabbit. You have the perfect hair for it. It's very fluffy. But I don't know about the growling and ice and stuff. You'd be more like a really aggressive hermit rabbit. Yeah. That sounds right."

The blonde groaned and dropped the fur in her cloth-wrapped palm. She grabbed Anna by the shoulders, spun her around, and walked her towards the tunnel exit. She stopped her by the ladder and even gave her a nudge forwards.

She deadpanned, rubbing her temples when Anna just stood there hugging the bag.

"Or maybe you’d be more like part wolf? You know, because of the growling and stuff? Or part bear? Or _both_? Or maybe a—"

Anna’s world dipped and spun, and when she opened her eyes, she found the dirt floor getting further away from her. " _Hey!_ " she protested, beating her fists against the blonde's back. She tried to kick as well, but an arm holding the back of her knees kept them still. "Put me down!"

Sunlight hit her back as well as a bone-deep chill, and she screamed when she found herself suddenly falling. The woman's shoulder dug into her stomach when they landed.

Anna looked up.

_A tree?_

The ceiling tunnel that served as a door was actually the hollow of a large tree. It looked long dead, but its roots were still holding it in the ground. A natural-looking pile of stones leaned against it where the fireplace let out.

The woman dumped her on the ground.

"Ow! Jeez, you could've warned me. I've had enough of being manhandled, thank you," Anna huffed as she stood up.

The bag was shoved into her hands, and when Anna looked up, the woman was already halfway back to the tree.

"What? Wait!" she yelled. "I-I don't know how to get back to Arendelle!" She may as well just continue east into the mountains until she reached the next kingdom over. There were no towns separating the Northern Mountains from Arendelle's capital. The land was treacherous, making the natural barrier the snow peaks provided both a natural defense and an uninhabitable wilderness.

The woman pointed into the distance. "Go that way for a few days, and you'll be fine."

"Can I at least stay the night? It's getting dark, and those men could still be around…"

"No. I cleared my debt. You freed me, I freed you. End of story. Goodbye."

"Wait, please, I'll…I'll do anything, please…"

The woman didn't turn around. "No offense, but there’s nothing I want that you can give me."

Anna hugged the bag, her mind desperately searching to somehow persuade her to let her stay the night. There was no way in _hell_ she would let those men take her again, and her chances of surviving the night alone were in single digits. If the freeze didn't kill her, then the wild animals would.

Then it came to her.

"You…You have some kind of bounty on you right? Or…something like that? I can clear your record so Crow stops hunting you!”

The woman paused in mid-step. For a long minute she stayed like that, contemplating whether or not to turn around. A bead of sweat ran down Anna's face.

"Crow…," Anna slowly began. "The man hunting you. I can make him stop."

The woman turned towards her, scowling.

Anna swallowed thickly. "I'm…I’m Princess Anna. I’m heir to the kingdom of Arendelle and future protector of the Northern Realm and commander of the White Sea. I can do that kind of thing. Clear your record, I mean."

The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously, and she strode to Anna with the speed and red fury of a charging bull. The redhead leaned away at the sudden close proximity, but a cold hand grabbing a fistful of her dress pulled her back. The woman leered inches in front of her, her eyes dark and a threatening growl rumbling deep in her chest. "And why shouldn't I just kill the daughter of the tyrant who's made my life a living hell?" she snarled, bearing pointed canines.

Anna gulped, her throat bobbing against the blonde's frosting fist.

"My father is not a tyrant," she said with careful slowness. "And I know you won't kill me. You wouldn't have gone through the trouble of saving me if you were just going to kill me."

"I did that because I was indebted to you."

"You did it because you have a conscience," Anna retorted, weaving on her political mask. "You aren’t fooling anybody, you know. You try to be this mean savage person, but your actions have been anything but. If your heart was as frozen as you pretend, you would have left me there. But you didn't because  _you_  couldn't stand not being able to return the favor because _you_ knew it was the right thing to do."

The woman snarled. "You know _nothing_ about me."

"I know enough. Now are you going to help me or not?"

The woman gave her a lasting glare before she tore her gaze away, releasing the deathgrip on her dress. If she were a cat, her tail would have been twitching and her ears flatted against her skull.

Anna tried to keep her face straight while her stomach bubbled a mix of fear, relief, and pride. _Is this what Papa feels like in his negotiations?_  she thought.  _Because it's twistedly awesome._

She decided to push the point home. "Help me get to the capital, and you can peacefully live in your… _tree_  for the rest of your life. No more traps."

The blonde crossed her arms and shifted her weight on her feet. "And what, I'd just have to be your guide back to Arendelle?"

"Pretty much."

The woman stared at her for a long minute before sighing. " _Fine._ "

The blonde flinched when Anna squealed. "Yes!" She laughed and lunged forward, tightly hugging the woman. "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

The woman froze, her arms held against her sides by the redhead squeezing her torso like a boa constrictor. Her freckled face burrowed into her shoulder, and she felt the smaller woman's laughs bonce against her chest.

Anna's laughs receded when she felt the warmth she was hugging turn ice cold. Goosebumps popped to her skin. Realizing what she was doing, she jumped back, eyes wide.

She wanted to reach out some sort of condolence for her actions, but she ended up just rubbing the back of her neck and blushing. "Haha…Sorry. I got a bit carried away there…"

The woman was frozen where she stood. Her tilted head, risen shoulders, and curled fingers looked like they were stiff from rigor mortis. If a wind blew by, it was highly likely the blonde would fall and clatter like a metal pole hitting marble.

"I ugh…I never caught your name," Anna asked, leaning close to make sure the woman was okay. She didn't appear to be breathing, and if it was possible, she seemed to have gotten even paler.

Blue eyes rapidly blinked when Anna bent into her vision. "…Elsa."

"Elsa," Anna repeated. "It's a very pretty name."

Elsa's eyes flicked up to hers before quickly darting away. She cleared her throat and looked like she was about to say something, but she just turned and walked back towards the tree.

Anna curiously blinked and followed.

Elsa abruptly stopped, and Anna nearly ran into her. "Get on my back," she ordered.

"What?"

The blonde looked over her shoulder. "Unless you can jump fifteen feet, I suggest you get on my back."

"Oh. Right."

Anna put her hands on Elsa's shoulders. She blushed. "Could you, um, squat down a bit?"

"Hm?"

"You're kindof tall…"

Elsa bent down as requested and Anna climbed on, looping her arms around her neck and linking her legs around her waist like a small animal on its mother's back. Elsa climbed back up the dead trunk, ice periodically materializing for handholds and footholds.

It was a bit tricky getting back into the trunk. Anna climbed around Elsa, insisting she could get in by herself, but the blonde ended up having to pick her up by the scruff of her dress to get her to the ladder.

Anna shooed away her assistance, a decision she soon regretted. The strong hold on the steps that she thought she had proved to be faulty, and one slip later, she was a heap of sprawled limbs on the dirt floor.

She rubbed the back of her head as Elsa gracefully landed beside her. "Great…," she heard the blonde mumble. Before she could ask what was wrong, Elsa knelt by her legs and examined the bandage sloughing off of her scabbed foot. She sighed. "Just sit over there. I'll fix it," she said, pointing towards the fire.

Anna limped across the room and plopped on the floor with a wince, thankful for the heat of the fire. She didn't realize how much the bandage was helping sooth her pain until she tried walking on where it fell off.

Elsa rummaged an extra waterskin from the drawers and picked down some of the shriveled green and yellow herbs hanging from the fireplace. She sat cross-legged by Anna's feet before she materialized an ice bowl, poured in some water, and tossed in some leaves which she ground together with another duller piece of ice.

Anna winced when Elsa wiped the old salve off of her foot and applied the new paste. It stung like salt on the wounds, but the cold of Elsa's hands helped to numb the pain.

She watched Elsa work. The blonde dipped two fingers in the bowl and curled them inside to scoop up the paste. She slowly rubbed it up and down her foot, the touch light but firm and never staying in one place for long.

Anna shook her head to keep her mind from nosediving into the gutter.

Elsa lifted Anna's foot onto her knee for better access. Anna expected her knee to be cold like her hands, but it wasn't. It was normal. Warmer than normal, actually.

"Why are you hot?" Anna blurted.

Elsa paused and looked up. "Hm?"

"I-I mean…I ugh…" Anna’s face was practically steaming. "Your hands. T-They're the only part of you that's cold. Why is that?"

Elsa wiped her fingers on her pants before wrapping the redhead's foot in a fresh piece of cloth. "Maybe it's because I can shoot ice out of them."

_Ouch._

Anna couldn't tell if the sarcasm was intended or not, but it still stung. It came out so naturally that it sounded like a default, but then again, isolation would make a person rather blunt.

Once Elsa was done with her foot, she knelt over the fire. She coated her hands in ice to safely pick up the pot cooking over the flame and carefully placed it on the earth beside her. She dissipated the ice on her hands and conjured two cups, filling both with the pot's steamy liquid via an ice ladle.

_Well, that's convenient. At least she doesn't have to do dishes._

"Does your ice never melt? Or is it like super heat resistant or something?"

Elsa threw the ladle into the fire. "No. It just takes a while to melt." She handed a cup to Anna. "Drink. It'll help you heal." Elsa lifted her own cup and emptied it in a few quick gulps before throwing it into the fire.

Anna gave the steaming drink a tentative sniff. It smelled like something spicy and…was that vanilla? "What is this?"

"Hurry up and drink before it melts."

After steeling herself with a deep breath, Anna tossed her head back and poured the liquid down her throat, trying to drink it as quickly as Elsa did. The temperature felt perfect with the heat of the drink and the coolness of the melting ice mixing together.

The temperature tango made her take a second to actually taste it.

She frantically spat out the liquid and threw the cup into the fire with a fourth of its unholy contents still inside. It tasted worse than the medicine Dr. Geri forced down her throat back at the castle.

"Whath isth that stuff?!" she demanded, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. She furiously rubbed it on the inside of her sweaty sleeve. The dirt that wiped onto her tastebuds tasted heavenly in comparison.

Elsa arched an eyebrow. "It's not that bad. You had no trouble with it when you were unconscious."

Anna spat into the fire. "So _that's_ why it tasted like I'd eaten leather." She spat again. "You've been feeding me rotten grass water."

Elsa rolled her eyes. She reached into the bag she had given Anna earlier and tossed her a small sac. Anna pulled the string at the top and found it filled with berries, nuts, and salted meats. She almost cried at the sight. She grabbed a handful and stuffed the food into her starving maw, desperate from both hunger and the bad taste in her mouth. Crumbs dribbled onto her chest but she didn't pay them any mind.

"Eat and get some sleep," Elsa said, pointing to the bed. "We're going to be doing a lot of walking tomorrow."

Anna paused mid-chew to ask her where she would sleep if she took the bed, but Elsa was already walking away. The blonde picked up a large hide sack and began filling it with items from the drawers to prepare for their journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Hehehe now the REAL fun can begin... **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	5. Falling With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen.   
> 

Elsa bent a low-hanging pine branch out of her face. The wrappings on her hands kept the sharp needles from cutting her palms, and those on her feet dulled the point of jutting stones and stray sticks. It was hard to see this late in the day. At least, it would be for Anna, she supposed. Humans couldn't see well in the dark.

They had left early that morning, avoiding as many game paths as they could and staying only to where Elsa's memory and sense of direction guided them. If Anna had any complaints, she didn't voice them. Elsa carried the bag of supplies for their journey. She could've divided the weight into two smaller bags, but she didn't trust Anna not to lose anything.

"...But then Kristoff caught the pig for me and brought it back to the castle. It was such a poor waste of pie," rambled the redhead trailing close behind her, carefully following in her footsteps. Elsa held the branch higher as Anna ducked under it, her hands tightly holding the inside of the fur cloak she had given her that morning. It was a bear pelt that was so long it dragged three feet behind her. "And they didn't even thank us! We should’ve at least gotten out of paying for some of the damages…"

Elsa groaned. Anna's mind was a web of random thoughts, and she was the unfortunate fly caught in the middle.

She released the branch and continued down the slope. They would have to make camp as soon as they found an area flat enough to lay on.

The sudden appearance of a freckled face in front of her brought her to an abrupt halt. She choked on her breath and froze. Anna leaned close to her, her lips pursed and her brow angled in concentration over her wide eyes.

Elsa blinked. She leaned away, but Anna just leaned closer.

"What color are my eyes…?" she slowly asked, her words drawling together.

Elsa arched an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"Answer the question."

"Ugh…" Elsa muttered. She tucked her chin to her chest at their close proximity. "…Greenish bluish?"

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Hmmm…" She stood on her tiptoes to lean impossibly closer, but she still couldn't get past Elsa's nose level. "Are you  _sure_  they aren't grey?"

Elsa deadpanned. Her mouth opened to question the redhead before the question's meaning dawned on her. She glared at the princess and growled, baring her canines. "I am not  _colorblind_ ," she snarled before shoving past her.

Anna jogged to catch up with her longer strides. "Hm. That knocks off the dog possibility. Are cats colorblind too? Maybe you're like a badger."

Elsa groaned, the urge to pound her head into a tree becoming harder to resist with every word passing from Anna's mouth.

Anna put her hands on her hips. "This would be a lot easier for both of us if you just told me."

Elsa turned around. "Why do you want to know? I'm not asking  _you_  anything."

"I know. That's the problem. I told you the game was us asking each other questions, but  _you_  don't want to participate." Elsa rolled her eyes and continued down the slope. Anna followed. "But if there's anything you want to know, go ahead. Ask me."

They made it to a small ridge blocked by a dense cropping of bushes. Elsa materialized a large knife in her hand and hacked a path through them. "Is silence an option for you…" She kicked an uprooted bush to the side, and Anna watched it fall down the steep slope flanking them. Elsa breathed heavily from the exertion and turned to the redhead. "…or is that too hard of a concept for you to understand?"

Anna's steps faltered as she blushed. "O-Oh...Sorry, I know I ramble a lot," she mumbled, looking away from her icy companion.

Elsa continued onward, savoring the silent hum of the wind and the soft crunch of dead leaves underfoot.

"Is grey your favorite color?"

Elsa bit back a whimper. _Why me?_

"Not that I think you're colorblind. Well, not anymore. You just have a lot of grey things. Or maybe it's white. Brown? You have a lot of brown, too. But brown is such a weird color to like. It's like wood and reindeer and stuff. Like Sven. Kristoff's favorite color is orange."

A frustrated growl tore from Elsa's throat. She spun on her heel, and Anna took a tentative step back from the sudden movement. "Look, I don't care about any Joan or Kristoff or Sauron—"

"Sven."

" _Whatever_ ," she hissed. "Just… _please_ be quiet. I would like to have at least a _shred_ of my sanity when this is over."

Anna dismissively waved a hand. "Alright, alright. Jeez. Don't get your panties in a wad."

Elsa's eye twitched. Who the hell did this girl think she was? She could kill her with the ease of snapping a twig.  _I can't tell if she's stupid or bra—No. Definitely stupid._

She turned away to hide her snarl and shuffled down the hill.

"And I have a name, ya know," Anna called as she climbed down after the blonde.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes. I know you have a name," she ground out.

"Then why don't you use it?"

"I haven't reason yet."

"Pfft. There have been plenty of reasons for you to use it." Anna squared her shoulders and puffed out her chest, speaking in an angry monotone. "'Oi, you, don't touch that' or 'You, don't wander too far' or 'You'll hurt yourself if you—"

Anna's foot caught on a root. She wind-milled her arms to catch herself, but her momentum was already falling forward. Elsa didn't have time to react before the redhead barreled into her, sending them in a tangle of limbs to the bottom of the hill like a ball tumbling down stairs.

Anna's breath wheezed out of her lungs when she landed at the bottom. She heard a groan from beneath her, and pale blonde hair bunched in her face. Her ears filled with a strange roar, and her head swam with dizziness.

She opened her eyes and squinted. The roaring in her ears was coming from a river in front of them. Its swollen banks crashed against rocks and rushed downstream at an alarming rate, its top covered in thick white foam. It was wider than the castle courtyard.

Elsa growled beneath her, shooting the redhead on her back a glare from the corner of her eye.

Anna blushed. "Hehehe…Sorry."

Elsa pushed up on her elbows, forcing Anna to slide down her back. The smaller woman quickly scrambled up and shook off pebbles sticking to her cloak while Elsa got up. She could feel sticks in her hair and dirt coating her body, but Elsa looked worse off.

Elsa brushed off her clothes, a scowl scarring her face and an annoyed growl grumbling in her throat. She snatched up the bag for their supplies and foraged its missing items off the ground.

"Sorry about that. I got a little distracted. Because I was talking. Which I should probably stop…since you asked me…" Anna hugged her arms behind her back and looked away.

Elsa paused to give her an annoyed glare that morphed into its stoic mask after a long sigh. "You okay?" she asked.

Anna looked up. "What? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly fine. You made a nice cushion," she awkwardly laughed. She scratched the back of her head and blushed, smiling apologetically.

Elsa grunted. She looked towards the river and sniffed the air, her nostrils flaring and her mouth parted. Her head whipped towards something in the water.

Before Anna could ask what she saw, Elsa dropped the bag on a boulder and slipped her sleeveless tunic over her head. She tossed it by the bag and untied the string belt on her pants before stepping out of them and throwing them with her shirt.

Anna's face practically steamed. "Wha-What are you doing?!" she squeaked.

She looked away, but her eyes were dragged back to the blonde's body by some unseen force that she only half-hated. Elsa was a  _goddess_. Her body was powerful muscle tenderly woven under ivory skin that looked both intimidating and uniquely feminine. She wore a cloth wrapping around her chest and donned sinfully tight undershorts that barely reached mid-thigh.

"I'm going fishing," she nonchalantly stated.

"N-Naked?"

"I'm not naked."

"Yes, you are! Those are underwear so _yes_ you are naked. A-And don't you need a pole or a hook or something?"

"No. And the salmon are running, and you need to keep eating."

"We just ate a few hours ago."

"You're still malnourished."

"Aww you do care."

Elsa snorted. "You'll only slow us down otherwise. And I don't want to have to carry you if you faint."

"Can I help, then?"

"No. Now just stay here and stay away from the water," she ordered. Elsa turned away without giving Anna time to argue. She hopped onto one of the boulders at the river's edge and dove into the churning water.

Anna crossed her arms. "'Stay here' she says. 'You'll get in the way' she says."  _Well, she didn't exactly say that, but the thought was there._  "I could catch a fish just as easily as she could. And I wouldn't scare them away either."

She kicked some pebbles before she plopped down on a rock and rested her face on her hands. It was a while until Elsa came up for air. It was impossible to see her through the water's foam, and even without it the water was nearly black from the lack of sun. Anna held her breath to see if she could hold it as long as Elsa was underwater, but she failed miserably.

 _Maybe she's part fish_ , she thought as she waited for Elsa to pop out of the rushing water again. She shook her head.  _Nah. That would be cannibalism. Right?_

She watched Elsa continue her ‘fishing’ for what felt like hours.  _Maybe she's talking to them or something. Like, demanding a sacrifice._ She shook her head again.  _Gods, I'm bored…_

Anna's leg bounced impatiently. She sighed and shifted in her seat, quickly growing tired of staying in place and doing absolutely nothing. She looked upstream. The trees continued for as far as she could see, which wasn't really that far since it was nearly dark.

Something upstream caught her eye. She squinted at the black silhouette and found a cluster of bushes. The last of the sunlight shone off the dull red berries hanging from their branches.

Anna jumped to her feet and strode over with a smile.  _I'll show her. I am Anna, the Mighty Gatherer! Master of berries and mocker of fisherwomen!_

She picked one of the berries, holding it close to her face.  _Better let Elsa check them out first, just in case…_

What started as a gathering of berries in her hand soon grew to a pile in the dip of her dress. She made trips back and forth between the bushes and the rock holding their supplies. She picked enough to feed them for days, but Elsa was still in the water and she was still bored, so she just kept picking.

Soon the berries were becoming hard to find from both darkness and scarcity. Anna winced when the bush's pointed leaves scratched her arm when she reached further in.

"Ow!" A sharp sting on her upper arm made her jump away from the bush. She dropped the berries in her dress and furiously brushed her clothes. A fat bumblebee flew out of her cloak. She glared at the retreating insect and cradled her swelling upper arm.

 _Damn, that hurts…_  The wound was quickly becoming a pulsing, warm beacon of pain.  _Maybe…_

Anna looked downstream to make sure Elsa was still underwater before making a dash for the riverside. She lifted her cloak and sleeve and all but shoved her arm into the water, sighing at the instant relief it brought to the sting. She shivered from the cold and craned her neck as far as she could to keep the water from lapping her face. She was grateful no one was around. She must have looked ridiculous with her rear in the air and her body half-in the water.

She tensed her legs and steadied herself with her free hand. The current was stronger than she thought. She could barely keep her arm in without being swept away.  _Elsa's probably used to it,_ she thought, remembering the blonde's stunning physique.  _And she's an ice lady, so I suppose the cold doesn't bother her._

Anna turned her head at the sound of a splash and watched Elsa surface. Her soaked platinum blonde hair looked grey in her ponytail as it stuck down her neck and shoulders. She swam to shore with one hand, the other holding something close to her chest.

She held her upper body out of the water by her elbows at the riverside. A thin spike of ice formed on the flat surface of a nearby boulder. She struggled to hold on to the large fish flopping in her hands as she hooked its lip on the spike.

The fish slipped from between her hands like a bar of soap. Elsa pawed at the air to catch it, but it flew over her head and landed with her in a ‘ _splash_ ’ back in the river. She came back up, shaking the water from her hair like a wet dog. Her lip curled in a snarl that Anna could hear from where she was, and she angrily smacked the water.

Anna quietly laughed.  _How can one person be so scary yet so childish? She's like a pouty five-year-o—_

A rouge wave crashed over Anna's head when she wasn’t paying attention, its weight and force dragging her into the water. Her muscles froze and her breath wheezed out of her from the biting cold shooting through her bones. She scrambled to grab onto the shore, but the current was already taking her, and her dress and fur cloak were weighing her down like lead weights.

Her head broke the surface long enough for her to let out a faint scream before water rushed into her mouth and down her airway. She coughed, but when her lungs looked for air from the recoil, they were filled with water. She opened her eyes, and all she could see was a swirling mass of silvery blackness.

 

* * *

 

 _Damn_ , Elsa thought as she smacked the water.

Her ears twitched at the sound of a harsh splash. She whipped her head upstream at the sudden sound, but saw nothing out of the ordinary from the rushing water. She narrowed her eyes, suspicion instinctively resting over her mind.

She looked up and down the shoreline, the lack of a certain redhead turning her suspicion into concern. Her eyes widened.

_She didn't—_

" _AHH—!_ "

Elsa saw Anna's head disappear into the water just as she passed her, her scream ending in a gargled choke.

"Anna!" she yelled, diving after her.

Elsa swam with the current, years of experience allowing her to torpedo through the water. She reached to where she thought Anna would be and treaded water, her head swiveling around as the current continued to push her downstream.

She stopped at a fork in the water made by the rift of a cliff and some broken logs. She climbed one of the logs, nearly slipping on its slick bark, to get a vantage point. She leaned away from the wood and furiously scanned the water.

At her left, she saw Anna flail for a gasp of breath before she was dragged back down.

Elsa's eyes widened.  _No! Not that way!_

She dove again. She could just make out the shape of Anna's tumbling form as she was carried away. They passed under the shadow of a cliff, and she felt a bolt of fear shoot down her spine when Anna narrowly missed a splintered log protruding from a cluster of boulders.

She kicked harder and forced her arms to their limit, steadily closing the distance between her and the redhead. Anna sunk underwater once again, and Elsa took a deep breath before plunging after her. She grabbed Anna’s arm, and they were just about to break the surface when they crashed into a stray boulder. Elsa yelped as her back and head cracked against the hard granite, and she lost her grip.

She broke the surface and gasped for air, wildly looking around. Gone was the pebbled riverside. Now, she was flanked by two imposing cliffs that leered over her. The water rushed faster with the addition of a decline in the ground, and rocks and boulders jutted out of the water all around her.

"Anna!" she yelled, coughing out water.

Elsa saw her for a split second before the river was split by a cropping of rocks that divided the water like a giant curtain. She growled. Her bangs stuck to her face, and she uselessly kicked as the current dragged her down dips and threw her against rocks.

She was tossed down a large dip and sucked below the water. She fought to keep her equilibrium straight, her mind rocking from being thrown around. A flash of red reflected through the black water ahead of her, and Elsa gritted her teeth and swam towards the source.

She curled her arm around Anna's waist and dragged her to the surface, coughing and gulping down air. She kept Anna's head above water as best as she could, but the water was getting faster, harsher. She vainly fought against the current, to at least climb onto a boulder or log. It would have been hard enough to get herself there with how hard the current was, but with Anna's additional weight and only one arm to use since the other was holding her up, the task was nearly impossible.

Elsa's muscles burned terribly and her eyes stung. She panted as she fought for traction and dug her feet into the bottom of the river, momentarily keeping them in one place before the ground dipped and she was too short to touch the bottom.

A roaring rapidly approaching them made Elsa frantic.  _We can't be there already!_

She kicked harder as the waterfall closed in on them. Her lungs ached and she coughed out water that washed into her mouth. She uselessly shot out ice to slow them down, but the water was moving too fast to freeze.

The feeling of weightlessness as they were thrown over was calmer than she expected. For a split second she felt like she was flying, but the deafening roar of wind in her ears quickly brought her back to reality.

The wind sucked the air out of her lungs and made her eyes water. She looked around and found Anna's body falling like a dead weight a few feet from her. She grabbed her ankle and pulled her to her chest in a protective hug before encasing them both in a thick sphere of ice and snow.

Elsa cried out when their sphere broke on impact with the churning water below. It felt like she had fallen from a tree and hit her back on a boulder. The milky white shell that had protected them floated around her like a broken egg.

Elsa floated, unmoving. Her ears rang horribly, and her mind felt fuzzy, the pain in her back making her want to simply drown right there and be done with the world.

She didn't pull from her thoughts until her lungs began to burn. She was about to push towards the surface when she saw Anna floating towards the bottom. She looked peaceful, like a calm ghost slowly falling to the blackness of the river-bottom. Ignoring her own pain, Elsa furiously kicked towards the redhead. Most of her energy was spent, but she managed to reach Anna before she drifted beyond the point of saving. Her ears popped and spots crowded her vision as she grabbed the back of Anna's dress and pushed for where she hoped the surface was.

She broke the surface in a large splash. Her free arm flailed and her lungs coughed up water and desperately gulped down air. The invisible substance filled her being like liquid life and made the spots in her vision fizz away. She immediately paddled for land, dragging Anna onto the sand and collapsing to her knees beside the redhead as she hacked up more water and waited for her blurry vision to clear.

Elsa was met with silence after her fit of coughing. She looked at her traveling companion. "Anna?" she croaked. The redhead laid eerily still, her face a sickly pale.

Elsa shakily crawled over to her. "Anna," she called more forcefully. She stopped beside her and shook her shoulders. Anna's body shook like a wet ragdoll, her head lolling to the side. "Anna, are you okay?" No response.

Concern bubbled in Elsa's chest with the beginnings of panic. She pressed her ear against Anna's chest and found she wasn't breathing. "Nononono..." She shook her shoulders again, this time harsher. "Anna. Anna, wake up." She smacked her cheeks. "Dammit, Anna, breathe!"

She helplessly looked around. She didn't know what to do. She pressed Anna's chest and shook her shoulders, checking every few tries to see if she was breathing.

She was smacking her again when Anna finally coughed out water and gasped for air. Relief hit Elsa like a tidal wave, and she almost smiled.

Anna's head rolled to the side, and her eyes swam in an unfocused haze. Elsa gently grabbed her face and made her look up at her. "Oi," she said, lightly patting Anna's cheek to get her attention. "Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Anna's half-lidded eyes stared through her for a long minute before her pupils contracted into focus. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she screamed before she shot a strong right hook that caught Elsa in the face and sent her sprawling to the side.

Anna sat up and coughed out the remaining water in her lungs. She could barely keep her teeth from chattering from how freezing she felt. Her fingers were numb, and she couldn't even feel the recoil from her punch even though her knuckles were red from the smack.

She frantically scooted back before recognizing the person she just sucker punched. Elsa crouched over on her knees, groaning and holding her bruising face.

"Oh my gods!" Anna yelled. She rushed to Elsa's side. "I am s-so sososo sorry. I d-didn't mean…I-I t-thought you were…Are y-you okay?"

"No, I'm moaning in pleasure. Of course I'm not okay!" Elsa spat, her voice sounding strange from behind her hand.

Anna scooted closer. "I c-can help—"

" _No_ ," Elsa quickly said, reaching out to keep the redhead a safe arm's-length away while her other hand cradled her face. She pinched her nose and yanked it to the side in a strange cracking noise that made Anna cringe. "You helped enough."

Anna was going to say something more but decided to keep her mouth shut, her jaw quivering. Her soaked fur cloak weighed against her shoulders like a sheet of ice.

It was completely black out now. The half-moon shone bright, and the first stars started appearing in the sky.

Elsa stood up, her half-naked figure dripping water. She tried to stretch her back but stopped with a pained wince. She growled. "I'm going to get some kindling to start a fire. Can I trust you to stay here, or are you going to go for another _dip_?" she snarled. "I'm not above freezing your feet to the ground."

Anna cringed, guilt biting at her chest. She looked away and weakly nodded. Elsa turned and marched into the forest beyond the shore, grumbling and rubbing her sore nose.

Anna looked to the side and felt her stomach do a somersault at the size of the waterfall cascading down the cliff.

 _We fell down...that?_  

Even though her cloak was soaked through, it helped keep the wind from biting at her wet body. She hugged her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees to conserve some form of warmth. Her nose, ears, fingers, and toes were already numb, and her face was chapped with cold.

_She saved me. Again._

Anna had very little time to ponder anything further before Elsa was back with an armful of various sized twigs. She strode towards her in haste and dropped the branches on the sand. The blonde didn't spare her even a glance as she immediately set up the fire pyre, a poorly suppressed growl trembling through her scowling mouth.

Once the wood and brush was set up, Elsa picked up the flints she found. It was then that she finally looked at Anna, and she did a double take. "Why are your clothes on?" she asked, her voice as cold and biting as a chip of ice.

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"Take your clothes off," Elsa gritted with dangerous slowness. "You need to dry."

Anna blushed. "I-I'm drying f-fine, thanks," she said through chattering teeth, politely smiling to thank her for her concern. "The f-fire will be going soon anyways. I-I'll be alright."

Elsa opened her mouth to say something but instead turned away with a snort of contempt, shaking her head and continuing to growl under her breath as she struck the flints and sparked the brush.

A tiny flame sparked in the kindling, and she cradled and gently blew at it before setting it beneath the wood pyre. The dry sticks soon caught onto the flame, and Anna scooted closer to the desperate warmth.

She chanced Elsa a glance as the blonde stoked the fledgling fire. "Elsa, I'm…I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to f-fall in. I was p-picking berries and—"

"I told you to stay put."

"I-I know. I'm s-sorry, but I just t-thought—"

Elsa's eyes darted to hers in a piercing glare. "Well, you should stop. Because of you and your  _thinking_ , we can't get back to our supplies, we don't have any food, and now I have to stay up and keep a lookout for whatever this fire will attract." She threw the stick she had been stoking the fire with into the flame. "Oh,  _and_  you added another day to our journey since now I have to get us around this godsforsaken cliff."

Anna scowled. "You d-didn't tell me t-there was a w-waterfall," she defensively grumbled.

"I shouldn't have to! Do you have no common sense? I said to stay away for a reason!"

Anna shot to her feet, her face contorted in anger. "I d-didn't ask you to s-save me! S-Sorry to inconvenience you!" she yelled before storming away.

Elsa stood up. "Where do you think you're going?"

Anna glared over her shoulder. "Away from you!"

"Don't be ridiculous. You'll freeze!"

"I d-don't care!" she yelled back. Throwing down her cloak, she plopped down and leaned her wet back against a tree. "I'll sleep over h-here with my t-tree which I'm s-sure will be much b-better company than you, and y-you can do w-whatever you want over t-there!"

Elsa sputtered, her mouth opening and closing dumbly. "I made this for  _you_!" she squeaked, her hands flailing towards the fire.

Anna laid down and curled up with her back towards the blonde. "W-Well then m-maybe you can use it to thaw your ego!"

Elsa's eye twitched, and she grabbed her hair. She turned and yelled, a sound like a cross between a roar and a howl. A growl loudly rumbled from her chest, and her hands clenched into fists hard enough to make her nails bite into her palms as she paced and glared at the redhead's back.

_Who does this brat think she is? I just saved her life! And this is how she acts?!_

Elsa didn't know how long she had been pacing for her fury to simmer down to a hot anger. Growling, she sat beside the fire and pawed at the earth to resist the urge to strangle the girl. The fire did nothing to warm her. The cold didn't bother her since she could control her body temperature.

She shifted her glare from the sopping wet dress still hanging on Anna's back to the fire crackling in front of her. She grabbed a handful of sand and tossed it on to suffocate it.  _If she doesn't need it, then fine. I'll just put the damn thing out._

She threw on a few more angry handfuls of sand before she stopped, her mind clearing from its angry haze. She took a deep breath, her growl beginning to recede.

 _I…I guess I did overreact a bit…_  She dropped the sand in her hand.  _And humans will die if they freeze…_

Elsa heavily sighed. She begrudgingly stood up and walked over to the redhead huddled against her tree. The girl didn't stir when she got close.  _She shouldn't be falling asleep that fast..._

She crouched and shook Anna's shoulder. "Anna. Anna, I'm—"

Anna violently shook under her wrapped palm, and Elsa could hear her teeth chattering. Concerned, she turned her over and found her face scrunched in pain and her lips tinted an unnatural blue. Her hair was caked with frost, and her body shivered like a leaf in a hurricane wind.

Elsa's eyes widened. _Dammit, I'm stupid._

She quickly but carefully picked Anna up and carried her to the fire. Even though she was immune to the effects of the cold, Elsa felt a chill from Anna's skin when her face leaned against her bare shoulder.

_Crap._

How the redhead was able to hide how cold she is was beyond her. Her temperature was even now continuing to drop. If it hadn't been life-threatening, she would have been impressed by the princess' show of strength.

_Stubborn little shit._

She carefully laid Anna by the fire. The redhead shivered enough to shake the sand beneath her, and she curled into a fetal position. Elsa pried Anna's hands from her chest and rubbed from palm to fingertip to get blood circulating back through them before giving the same treatment to her cloth-wrapped feet.

“Don’t you dare die on me…”

After what felt like an hour, Anna was still freezing, her body violently shaking and curling up like a dying flower. With her concern now boiling to panic, Elsa laid down behind the redhead and pulled her body close against hers. She took care in making sure that her body radiated its unnatural warmth.

Anna turned and desperately cuddled into her, her legs tangling with hers and her hands tucking against her abdomen. Elsa blushed at the close proximity of their faces before adjusting their position so Anna's head tucked under her chin.

She didn't know why, but something about having this shivering girl clutch to her for warmth made a surge of protectiveness shoot through her. She tentatively wrapped an arm around Anna's wet body, her thin form feeling even smaller with how curled up she was. Anna whimpered, and Elsa instinctively responded with a calming purr-like sound of her own and tucked the redhead closer to her chest.

Eventually, Anna's breathing slowed to a casual snore, and her body stilled with the exception of the slow rise and fall of her chest. Elsa thought about moving away, but she didn't want to risk Anna freezing again. Her clothes were still sopping wet.

She laid her cheek against the sand and stared into the fire, her senses on alert for danger as her companion continued on her peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

 

Anna woke up to the sound of sizzling. A spray of dirt hit across her face, and she swatted it out of her eyes. She vainly tried to go back to sleep, but another spray of dirt forced her awake.

She sat up and stretched her jaw in a yawn, surprised by how well-rested she felt. She looked around and found Elsa shoveling sand onto what was left of their fire. Sprays of dirt missed the fire and landed in her lap.

"How did I get here…?" she mumbled out loud though she was asking herself. She swiveled her head to look at her tree.

"You must’ve rolled in your sleep. I'm surprised you didn't end up in the fire," Elsa grunted as she shoveled more sand.

"Hmph." Anna scowled and crossed her arms. "Some lookout you are if you didn't notice. I bet you fell asleep."

Elsa stopped and looked at her. Her icy eyes were adorned with thick bags. "You aren't the only one exhausted, princess. You almost drowned me, too."

Anna blinked, and Elsa turned away and patted down the fire. Blushing, the redhead crossed her legs and rocked in place. "…Thank you…for saving my life…," she mumbled. "I-I'm sorry for making you have to save me. And for giving you a hard time. I promise I'll listen to you next time."

Elsa paused. "You're welcome."

Anna flashed her a friendly smile that reached from ear to ear. Elsa awkwardly looked away.

 _Someone's in a weird mood this morning_ , Anna thought.  _But at least it's a good weird. I think. Well, she isn't mad anymore, so it has to be good, right?_

She shrugged off the blonde's action and set to taming her hair. She was surprised Elsa didn't give her a smart remark about its monstrous state, but she supposed she should be grateful for that. It took her a while to untangle her knots with her fingers before she could actually begin braiding.

She hummed to herself a tuneless song as she wove her hair. A sudden lack of movement from in front of her made her pause, and she looked up to find Elsa staring at her, specifically at her hands.

She arched an eyebrow when Elsa had yet to move. "Everything okay?" she tentatively asked.

Elsa blinked out of her stupor to lock eyes with the redhead before looking away and trying to busy herself with something. Unfortunately for her, the fire was put out and there was nothing else for her to pretend to be doing.

She folded her arms behind her back, refusing to speak, and Anna could have sworn she saw a light blush scattering across her cheeks. Elsa glanced at her when both of them continued to do nothing, clearly uncomfortable with their awkward atmosphere.

Anna almost smirked. Awkward was her thing. She could do this all day. She rose her eyebrows and inclined her head, prompting Elsa to speak.

Elsa's eyes locked onto a blade of grass somewhere to her left, and her face flushed redder. "How—Why do you do that…?" she mumbled, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Huh?"

Elsa rose her shoulders and shifted her feet. "With your hair…Why do you do that?" She made a twirling motion with her finger. "The twisty thing."

"Oh. You mean braid? Well, I've been doing it since I can remember. I don't think I've ever worn it otherwise. I like it."

Elsa grunted.

"Why do you ask?"

Elsa finally looked at her. "I thought you wanted me to ask you questions."

"Oh." Anna blinked in clear surprise. "Okay!" She gave a toothy smile.

Anna made quick work of her braids, and then the two were off. She followed Elsa's practically naked form into the woods. She blushed, but she guessed she would just have to get used to it. Elsa's clothes were lost back with the rest of their supplies.

She pulled at her dress and winced, scratching her side. "Why is everything so itchy?"

"Wet rash," Elsa simply stated as she climbed over a fallen log. "I told you to take your clothes off."

Anna paused in mid-step, her jaw hanging open. "Whaaat?" she whined. "You could have told me _that_!" She pulled again at the dress sticking to her skin. "Great. I can already feel the skin chaffing off my thighs. I'll be a chicken by the time we get to Arendelle."

In front of her, Elsa made a weird sound. It was hard to tell since she was hacking through a bush when she made it, but Anna could have sworn she just heard Elsa laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Long chapter for y'all great readers. I appreciate the reviews:D **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	6. Bear With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen  
>  **

The color drained from Anna's face as she leaned away from her blonde companion, specifically what she held in her hand. They'd been traveling since dawn, not stopping to take any breaks until the sun began its decent in the west. And even though she was exhausted and starving, Anna hesitated when offered to eat Elsa's  _unique_  catch.

Elsa held out the spit, cooked flesh glistening with beads of grease. "Here."

Anna managed a weak nod, curling her cloak closer around her body. "N-No thank you. You eat it," she insisted. She pained a smile.

Elsa rolled her eyes and sighed. "I told you I already ate on my way back from hunting. Now _eat_." She jutted the spit closer to her face. The pink flesh was cooked a golden brown that would have shamed the castle chefs, and just the smell was enough to make her mouth water but…

She swallowed hard and reluctantly took the stick in shaking hands. "Are you sure it's safe to eat this?"

"Yes. I've had it many times before. Just imagine it's chicken or something."

Steeling her stomach, she took a bite. It…actually tasted good. Smiling, she took another, more ravenous bite. The filling hole in her stomach swelled in contentment.

Elsa lightly laughed. "Don't eat so fast. You'll get a scale stuck in your throat," she chided, scooping handfuls of sand over their small cooking fire.

Anna shivered at the reminder. She was less than excited when Elsa returned to their small camp with the scaly creature, but she was entirely grateful for the meal. "Why did it have to be a snake…" she mumbled to herself, taking another large bite and slowly chewing.

"We're lucky I found anything," Elsa said. Anna jumped in her seat. She was still getting used to the blonde's super hearing. Talking under her breath was a habit she would have to quickly break. "Food is scarce as it is without that damn garlic masking scents."

Anna arched an eyebrow. "Garlic?" she mumbled around a mouthful of food.

Elsa pointed into the distance. "There's a patch about half a mile upwind. Lots of it, apparently."

"Oh." Anna looked in the direction Elsa had pointed. Garlic would throw even her off, she supposed. The blonde had a sense of smell that could rival any bloodhound, and judging from the way she kept pawing her nose, the smell must be stifling even from this distance.

Their conversation died soon after. It was eerily quiet since food was acting as a temporary cork on Anna's mouth. It felt strange for Elsa to be able to hear her own thoughts again.  _And it's only day two_ , she thought to herself. She laid down from her sitting position, cradling the back of her head over the pebbles. She closed her eyes and let thoughts of nothing in particular run through her head.

A gradual thumping interrupted her thoughts from drifting into a short nap. It pounded at a regular pace, and it was somewhat familiar.

Elsa opened her eyes, expecting to see storm clouds, but the sky was clear. She scowled.  _It's just my pulse_ , she deadpanned, settling back on the ground.  _Great. I can't even recognize my own heartbeat anymore._

The pounding intensified, and however she tried, she couldn't ignore it. With a growl, she shot to her feet, swiveling her head around the area.

Anna paused in her eating, her stick nearly bare of flesh. She lowered it and cautiously looked at her companion. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Elsa said nothing. She narrowed her eyes, her ears twitching. She took a tentative step towards the treeline and sniffed the air, her mouth parted and her nostrils flaring.

Anna tried to listen as well. She focused past the sound of the river lazily bobbing by and the dry rustle of the trees. Just as her attention span was just about to run out, she heard a heavy thumping pounded through the area. It got louder until it blended with the pulsing of her blood in her ears. She looked at her companion in question.

Elsa spun around, wide-eyed with her mouth open to voice a warning, but whatever she was going to say was drowned by a deafening roar.

A crash of trees split the air as a bear tore into the clearing. Anna's throat ran dry at the sight. It was the largest creature she had ever seen. Thick muscles rippled like crashing waves beneath its brown pelt, and its limbs were as thick as tree trunks. It paused and swiveled its massive head towards its new prey. Her breath caught in her throat when its beady eyes caught their focus on Elsa before charging her.

Elsa hastened to form an ice wall, but the bear crashed through it before it was fully formed. The magic crumpled like dried clay under its brute force. She had no time to react before the animal barreled into her, her body flying like a rag doll from the force. She tumbled to the ground a few yards away and skidded to a painful-sounding stop that knocked the wind out of her. She tried to push herself up but fell into a fit of coughs.

"Elsa!" Anna screamed.

The bear snapped its attention to the redhead. It snorted and charged on thick paws towards her. Anna shot to her feet and made a break for it, but the bear easily caught up to her shorter strides. She could feel its hot breath brush down her neck.

She made a sharp turn, trying to capitalize on the bear's large size and momentum. It slid past her just as she had hoped and crashed into a tree, but the speed of her turn caused her to lose her balance. Anna's heart dropped to her stomach as her feet tripped together and she tumbled to the ground in a graceless heap.

The ground shook as the bear closed in on her. Anna stared at it, too scared to even scream as death approached her with an open maw.

A boulder-sized chunk of ice slammed against the bear’s head. Dazed, it stumbled away from the redhead and pawed its stinging face. Anna dumbly stared at it for a long second before a growling form crouched over her. Elsa bared her pointed canines and snarled, lowering her body over Anna's and placing herself between her and the bear. The bear roared and Elsa lowered the bass her growl in return, sounding equally as terrifying as the sound echoed out of her chest like grinding stones.

The bear stood on its hind legs and drew back its paw, but before it could make the downward stroke, Elsa pounced, her momentum allowing her small weight to topple over the bear. The two of them rolled before the bear found its footing and slammed them to a stop, its larger mass looming over Elsa beneath it.

Elsa wheezed as her back slammed against the pebbles, and she barely caught the bear's face in time to protect her head from being mushed like peach between its thick teeth. She grunted as her arms strained to keep its snapping maw away from her face, but the larger, stronger beast was inching towards her, the hot breath of its roars blasting over her. Frustrated, the bear swiped a paw downwards, and Elsa barely dodged, its claws digging deep burrows into the ground where her head was just at.

The bear  _roared_. It furiously shook its head, its momentum and brute strength swinging Elsa around until the blonde saw stars. Its thrashing managed to throw her on the ground by its side, leaving her dazed, and the bear reared back for a death blow.

It stopped mid-roar when a rock hit its snout. It barely flinched from the small impact, but more soon followed. Landing on all fours, it swung its mass towards the intrusion, a rock hitting it square between the eyes as it did so. It growled and pawed its face.

"Hey, ugly!" Anna yelled, picking up another sizable rock and chucking it. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" The bear roared, its predatory gaze piercing the redhead as she continued to pelt it with rocks.

The bear charged. Anna froze for a handful of seconds before her survival instincts made her move, her legs pelting her away.

A choked roar made her skid to a halt. The bear was reared back with an angry Elsa holding its thick throat in a choke hold. It pawed the air and shook its head in a vain attempt to shake her off. Elsa hung on with an iron grip, the bear desperately stumbling around the clearing. The beast finally lost its balance and fell backwards, and Elsa jumped off as soon as its momentum began to fall.

Elsa shot out her hands, ice pouring from her palms and freezing it to the ground. The beast growled and struggled to free itself. Elsa ran to Anna as soon as she ceased her flow of magic, grabbing her hand and sprinting away. Distant roars and shattering ice made her speed up until she was practically dragging Anna through the woods.

They dove through bushes and skirted around trees until Elsa brought them to an abrupt stop. Anna nearly ran into the blonde's naked back as the woman stood rigid, her muscles tense and her breathing heavy. Elsa paused for only a handful of seconds before she took off again, dragging her companion behind her.

Anna saw a blur of green as they slid down a hill and into a grove of wild garlic. The weed-like flowers overwhelmed her with their stench. She started to get up to continue running, but Elsa pressed a hand between her shoulders to keep her lying on the ground. The redhead looked back at the blonde and choked on her tongue. Elsa's head was practically resting in the crook of her neck while the rest of her hovered over top of her.

Anna blushed red enough to burn, but Elsa remained concentrated on the problem at hand. She scanned the area between the weeds and lowered herself until Anna could feel her body brush against her. Anna made a small choking sound and pressed her stomach into the ground, hoping to become one with the dirt. Elsa's warm breathes brushed past her cheek in tense intervals.

The thundering of paws alerted them to the bear's approach. It clumsily crashed through the woods, roaring and pawing its nose. It was barely a few yards away. The tremble of its massive paws shook the blood in Anna's veins.

Anna pressed further into the ground, her pulse thumping so hard in her ears that she swore the bear could hear it. She could both hear and feel Elsa hold her breath and press flush against her body to get as close to the ground as possible. Frost iced over her hands, and Anna felt her muscles tense over her, ready to spring.

But as soon as it arrived, the bear left. Whether it was sick of the garlic or too tired to continue its hunt, Anna didn't care. It was finally gone.

The two of them stayed still until Elsa moved to slowly get up into a small crouch. Anna started to get up as well, but Elsa gently pressed down on her back, shaking her head to tell her to stay put. Anna shakily nodded back.

Elsa poked her head out of the garlic patch before stepping into the open. Anna lost sight of her as she walked out after where the bear left.

Anna sat there, not daring to move. The cast of the sun around her shifted from yellow to a dark orange as time waned on, each second feeling like an eternity.

The sudden feeling of something on her shoulder made her shoot up from her hiding place. She screamed and scooted back until she hit a tree. A fresh wave of adrenaline pumped through her veins and her wide eyes darted terrified in front of her.

A hand over her mouth cut off her scream. Her hands shot up to tear away the offending arm, but another hand encircling her wrists kept them gently pinned in her lap.

"Hey!" called a voice. Anna opened her eyes and was met with concerned arctic blue. Her mind registered recognition, but her body continued to thrash as she stared at the face in front of her. "Hey hey, shushhhh hey…," Elsa cooed calmly, softly. "Calm down. It's me." Anna stopped her involuntary struggles. Those blue eyes enticed her to calm down, the depth of their pupils dilating and the intensity of their concerned gaze waning to a sky-blue softness. "It's just me."

Elsa waited a few seconds for Anna to relax before she released the loose grip she had on her wrists. "I'm going to let go now, okay? You have to promise not to scream," she slowly said, her head dipping so she was looking up at the princess. She shifted her position so that she was kneeling over her at a less threatening angle.

Anna nodded, her shoulders sagging and her breath ghosting over Elsa's knuckles. The blonde pulled back her hand.

"Is it gone?" Anna asked in a near whisper, too scared to talk any louder.

Elsa leaned back, resting an elbow on her knee. "Yes. Long gone by now," she said equally as softly, a small, relieved smile on her lips.

Anna slumped against the tree. "Good _gods_ , I thought it was going to eat us!"

"If it found us, it would have." Elsa stood up, flakes of garlic clinging to her skin like a powder. "We'll have to be more careful. That bear was no rogue. I'm guessing it wandered out of its territory just to hunt you down."

Anna blinked. "Me?" she asked, pointing a finger to her chest.

Elsa looked down at her. "You reek of human. I could smell you a mile away." She offered her a hand—which the redhead gladly took. "Luckily the garlic hid your scent."

Anna let her hand linger in the blonde's for a handful of seconds longer before she pulled away. "Is it a…bad smell?"

Elsa blinked before abruptly looking away. A light blush sprinkled over her cheeks as she scratched the side of her face. "Not…not entirely, no...," she slowly said. "It smells more like…uh…" Her face turned a darker shade of red. Finally, she shook her head and cleared her throat, forcing herself to look at her again. "…I guess the only way to describe it is you smell like easy prey."

"…Oh."

"'Oh' exactly. With hibernation coming up for the larger animals and food becoming scarce, anything within a few miles will be attracted to you like moths to a flame."

"What about your… _scent_ , then?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "I am  _not_  easy prey," she snarled. She stopped growling when fear flashed through Anna's eyes. The girl had meant no offense. Elsa cleared her throat. "…Nor am I human," she calmly said.

Elsa turned and began walking, Anna following close behind. "I was hoping my scent would be able to mask yours until we got clear of the woods, but I guess I was wrong or that bear just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, we should be fine now, but keep your guard up."

"Why didn't you just kill it? I'm pretty sure a little _'pew pew_ ' to the head would have saved both of us a heart attack."

Elsa glanced at her. "Believe it or not, princess, I don't like killing unless it's absolutely necessary. I saw an opportunity to escape, and I took it. But if it came at us again, I was prepared to do what I had to. It was just trying to fend for itself."

Anna paused.

Oh.

Well then.

…Maybe her killer guide wasn't so bloodthirsty after all.

"Hey."

Anna blinked, blue eyes coming into her vision.

"Keep walking," Elsa said.

 

* * *

 

_Snap._

Anna jumped. "What was that?!" she demanded, her eyes struggling to peer into the darkness.

Elsa didn't pause her pace. "Nothing."

Anna took a deep breath, willing her nerves away again.

_Right. It's nothing. Just a trick of the—_

She squealed when the bush next to her rustled. She jumped to Elsa and hugged her arm, hiding behind the taller woman. The blonde was forced to stop with her clinging on to her.

Elsa sniffed the air. "It's just a squirrel," she chastised. She looked down at her companion who was latched on to her like a scared child to their mother. Anna peeked around her and saw a brown ball of fur scurry out of the bush and up a tree.

She looked up at the blonde, her eyes still wide. "B-But what if next time it's not a squirrel?" she stuttered, subconsciously tightening her grip on Elsa's arm.

Elsa's expression softened, the tight corners of her lips relaxing. "Relax, Anna. The land here's too flat and the trees too thin to hide anything worth worrying about," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Anna still looked skeptical, huddling to the blonde.

Elsa sighed. "And if anything does come after us, I promise I'll protect you."

Anna looked up at her taller companion. The blonde had been nothing short of cold, uncaring sass since their journey began. Endeared by the declaration, she smiled, the edges of the gesture nearly reaching from ear to ear. Elsa blushed and looked away, furrowing her brow into a straight line and making an awkward noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and clearing her throat.

"Now come on," Elsa said, clearing her throat again to force away the red in her face. "If we move quickly we can make camp within the hour."

The two continued their trek through the forest. Anna remained latched on to Elsa's arm and the latter surprisingly made no comment about it.

Anna barely suppressed the urge to cuddle against the blonde. She radiated warmth like a human sun. The heat seeped through her thin clothing and gratefully warmed her cold body, reducing the nip of the night air that was chilling her to the bone. Elsa's skin was softer than she expected. Smooth muscle glided beneath with every twitch of a finger or stretch of her hand.

Her scent wasn't too bad either, considering she didn't have access to oils or soaps. It was an earthy, smoky, nearly musky scent that reminded her of snowy nights huddled next to the fire in the castle library.

 _Maybe I can just rest my eyes…_  she thought, the warmth and scent of her human pillow luring her into a premature slumber while her legs went on autopilot. Her eyelids slid closed, and her head lolled to the side, her cheek resting on her wet shoulder—

She blinked her eyes open.  _Wet?_  She leaned back and felt something stick to her cheek. She regretfully untangled one of her hands from Elsa's warm arm to inspect the new substance. It was warm and sticky, and in the moonlight it looked black. Its metallic scent wafted towards her nose, and her eyes widened.

"Elsa!" she yelled, pulling away from her and anxiously staring at the blood on her hand. "You're _bleeding_!"

Elsa stopped and looked at the blood on her palm. She twisted to glance back at her shoulder. Blood shone in clotted streams as it ran down her back and soaked into the wrapping around her chest. "Hm," she plainly grunted before she continued walking. Noticing her companion not following her, she stopped and turned around to find Anna glaring at her, her mouth hanging open. "What? It's just a scratch. It’s not going to kill me," she defended.

Anna's jaw closed with a snap and her face morphed into a scowl. She untied her cloak from around her shoulders and held it out to the blonde. She suppressed a shiver when the frigid night air hit her exposed body. "Take it," she commanded.

Elsa blinked. " _What?_ " she asked, looking at Anna like the girl had just grown a second head. "No. You'll freeze without it. Put it back on."

Anna didn't move. "Take it."

"I said no."

"I'm not gonna wear it anymore so you might as well."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "Put it back on.”

"No."

The two exchanged a heated glare, each waiting for the other to back down but both being too stubborn to submit.

A growl tore from Elsa's throat, and her eyes narrowed to icy slits. "Anna, put on that cloak  _now_ ," she bit out.

Anna was undeterred by the aggression. She held out the cloak further, her scowl changing to a concerned plea that was no less stubborn than before. "No, Elsa. Please, you got hurt because of me, and we have no other clothes for you because  _I_  lost our supplies. Just take it."

Elsa strode towards the redhead, forcing Anna to retract the cloak. She stopped a hairsbreadth away from her, glaring down at the shorter girl. "If you don't put that on right now, I swear I will  _make_  you wear it," she snarled, her voice dangerously low.

Anna glared right back up, pushing the cloak against the blonde's chest. "Stop being so stubborn! Just swallow your pride and— _H-HEY_!"

Anna struggled to pull away when Elsa grabbed her arms and gently forced her to the ground, straddling her hips and using her weight to keep her pinned. Yelling profanities, Anna vainly fought to escape Elsa's grip as the stronger woman forcefully wrapped the cloak around her body, trapping her arms against her sides.

She yelped when Elsa effortlessly hoisted her up and carried her over her non-bleeding shoulder like a sack of wheat.

" _Elsa!_ " she yelled, struggling to release her arms from the thick fur cloak. "Put me _down_!"

Elsa said nothing, continuing to walk on.

 

* * *

 

Anna shifted in her prison, trying and failing to reposition herself since Elsa had an iron grip on the back of her knees. Her head was beginning to swim from the rush of blood to her brain from leaning down for so long, and her fingers were tingling with the first symptoms of numbness.

"Are we there yet?" she groaned, trying again to bend her head to the side to get the forming kink out of her neck. It didn't work. "My hands are asleep."

Surprisingly, Elsa stopped.

"…Will you wear it?" she asked.

Anna blew a stray bang out of her face. "I don't really have a choice…" she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" she quickly responded, not wanting to lie over her shoulder any longer than she had to. She sighed, her body going slack in defeat. "Fine. I'll keep the stupid thing on. Happy?"

She could practically feel Elsa smirk. "Good." Elsa carefully deposited Anna on her feet. She released the knot she tied on the cloak and watched in amusement as Anna grumpily untangled herself and properly tied the cloak around her neck and shoulders, mumbling hard under her breath and refusing to take comfort in the generous warmth that the cloak provided. "Because we're here."

'Here' was a small plateau of thin grass under the canopy of a seemingly ancient oak tree. There was a small stream a few paces away that ran over some of the tree roots that had grown into its shallow bank.

Elsa crouched by the stream and cupped the cool water in her hands, gratefully sipping the liquid. Once she had her fill, she set to washing herself. Grime and dirt and fur and pollen and all manner of filth washed from her skin until she was again her normal pale.

She glanced to her side at the sound of crunching leaves as Anna sat on her knees next to her. Her expression was more relaxed than a few minutes ago, but the frustration of having her stubbornness outmatched lingered in the subtle way she bit the inside of her cheek.

Elsa arched an eyebrow when Anna shimmied the cloak to her side and dipped the end of it into the stream. She rang out the excess water from the fur before shifting to face the blonde and reaching out the dampened piece of cloak.

Elsa immediately flinched out of reach, her brow furrowing into a scowl. "What are you doing?"

A muscle twitched in Anna's jaw. "Just shut up and get over here," she said in a neutral voice, motioning with her free hand.

Elsa narrowed her eyes in disapproval. "That cloak is for—"

"Hey, I still have it on, don't I?" She pointing to the ends of the cloak still tied around her neck. "Now come on. Turn around so I can clean you up before you get an infection."

"I don't need your help."

"I wasn't _asking_ ," Anna stated. "If you won't wear this stupid thing, then I can at least use it to clean your wound."

Elsa looked away and muttered a growl, staying where she was.

Anna smirked. Rolling her eyes, she crawled on her knees until she was situated behind the blonde. Elsa didn't move away when she touched the cloak to her shoulder.

Anna slowly moved her hand, peeking around at Elsa's face to make she wasn't causing her pain. After she brushed Elsa's ponytail out of her way, she placed her other hand on Elsa’s opposite shoulder to steady herself. She felt the blonde tense up under her touch before quickly relaxing again.

The wound was wide, but thankfully it wasn't deep. It was more likely caused by her hitting the ground than a swipe of the bear's claws. Nevertheless, it managed to produce a surprising amount of blood. Rivulets of it were crusted down her back having soaked through a part of her chest wrapping all the way to the brim of her shorts.

Dirt and blood easily washed off, and Anna paused when she didn't find soft skin underneath. It was hard to see in the dark, so she investigated with her hand, her fingers pressing through the cloth of her cloak into the various ridges carved into the blonde's back. Some of them bulged from her skin while others carved into her flesh in long pink burrows that stretched across her shoulders, the deeper ones catching a mixture of water and blood. Moving closer, she could see smaller white scars crisscrossing along her skin like marks of chalk on a board.

Anna's chest caved in on itself as if it was made of glass.  _What…What happened…?_ Her eyes trailed up her back and down her shoulders to her arms and eventually to her legs where there were more scars as well, though not as badly riveted as her back.  _How did I not notice before…?_

Anna didn't realize she had stopped washing until she felt Elsa stiffen. The blonde shifted uncomfortably on the ground, and the air between them seemed to thicken.

"I'm sorry," Anna blurted, retreating her hands.

"No…it's fine," Elsa said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. She absentmindedly stared into the stream.

The blonde's tone shot off warning sirens in Anna's head to shut up, but her mouth had other ideas. "…What…What happened?" she asked.

Elsa glanced at her before returning her gaze to the river, the spluttering of its rush calming the night air. "It's a long story, princess," she sighed.

"I love stories," Anna said, chancing a smile.

Elsa wryly smiled and laughed, although the sound was nothing like it had been before. There was no happiness. No  _laughter_. Just sound.

Elsa stood up. "Let's go to bed," she said, though she sounded like she was talking to herself. Anna watched her walk away, the urge to pry almost agonizing but the desire to not hurt the woman much stronger.

She followed after her. Elsa curled up in the grass, one arm resting over her face. Anna sighed.  _Great. Now she's upset._  Mentally kicking herself, the redhead situated herself on the ground as well, pulling her cloak close around her and forcing herself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Lots of you are asking about Elsa's… _animal_... **
> 
> ** It will come **
> 
> ** In due time my sweet lemondrops **
> 
> ** It will come **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	7. Indefinite Borrowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen.  
>  **

It was still night when Anna woke up. Sleep clung to her mind like a fog, her limbs heavy with exhaustion. She crossed her legs and tried to will away her full bladder and fall back to sleep.

 _Dammit_ _._ She pushed herself up from her surprisingly comfortable grass bed and stretched her arms, enjoying the pop between her shoulder blades. Beside her, Elsa laid unmoving besides the gentle rise and fall of her side.

Blinking herself more awake, Anna carefully stood up, not wanting to wake the blonde. Elsa had a much rougher day than her, and she deserved a full night's rest.

She looked younger when she slept. Her features softened out of their normally taut, stressful look. Her mouth was slightly parted, the tips of her canines barely poking past her lip, and she rested with one hand over her face like a cat might. She wasn't exactly snoring, but the slightest scratch of breath could be heard whenever she inhaled.

Anna hid her giggle behind her hand. She tried to act tough, but Elsa was too adorable for her own good.

A thought crossed Anna's mind just as she was stepping away from their campsite. Grinning deviously, she untied her cloak, tip-toed to Elsa's side, and laid it over her with the care of a mother laying down her baby.

She sucked in her breath when Elsa mumbled and scowled in her sleep until she settled into a new position, snuggling her face into the crook of her arm and relaxing back to her mild snore.

Anna released her breath, thanking the gods that Elsa was either a heavy sleeper or too exhausted to wake up, and scurried away to someplace where she could do her business.

 

* * *

 

After Anna made her water, she headed back to her and Elsa's camp.

It took her an hour to admit to herself that she was lost.

"Oh come _on_ …," she groaned. She wrapped her arms around her middle in search of warmth.  _Okay. Maybe Elsa was right about the cloak_ , she ruefully thought as another shiver danced down her spine from a chilling breeze.

"All I wanted to do was go to the bathroom. Can I not even do _that_ without screwing up?" she asked, looking up. The moon was crescent tonight, its milky white curve smirking at her.

"That's right, laugh it up!" she yelled at the gods. "You think you're so great just sittin' up there and watching poor old Anna mess everything up, don'tcha? You just wait till I get up there. I'll wipe that smirk right out of the sk _AHHHHHHHHH!_ "

Anna yelped when the ground took a sudden downward turn. Her vision became a blur of black and green until she landed in an undignified ‘ _splash_ ’ at the bottom, her bum and legs nearly freezing on impact with the icy water she now sat in.

She shakily pushed herself up on a nearby rock. "C-Cold...," she stuttered between chattering teeth. "Cold cold cold cold cold..."

The sound of nearby voices snapped Anna's attention away from her chilling body.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for the night? My family would be happy to have you," asked a deep, thickly accented voice.

Anna scrambled to duck behind a boulder to hide from the two men on the opposite side of the treeless valley she had fallen into. A few boulders and a quaint house and barn were the only things in the empty area. One of the men—if such a giant could be called human—was loading crates onto the back of a wagon while the other normal-sized man hitched the wagon to a horse.

"Thank you, Oaken, but I really need to be going," the small man replied. He walked into the house and returned with a bundle of clothes that he placed with others that were already in the wagon.

 _He must be a merchant of some sort_ , Anna thought as she watched the man return to the house for more bundles of cloth and other goods.

"You can't be traveling this late at night. It's not safe, Markus. Please, I insist you stay," Oaken said.

Markus hopped into the driver's seat and took the reins. "I would love to, old friend, but I'm already behind schedule. Thomas will have my hide if he finds I'm late because I stopped in Corona to buy my son a souvenir. And these lands aren't dangerous if you stick to the Kingsroad. I won't be traveling much longer. Just until I get close enough to Barnhill that my nerves will be at ease."

Anna eyed the bundles of clothes tied down in the wagon, her thoughts immediately returning to Elsa and her own half-freezing body.  _Elsa needs clothes_ , she thought, shivering.  _We both do._

After saying their goodbyes, Markus reined his horse onward, the wagon—and Anna—trailing after it.

 _I'll be back before Elsa wakes up,_ Anna reassured herself as she crept along the side of the road, sure to stay out of sight.  _He said he was only going a little longer._

 

* * *

 

Anna was about to turn around and head back to a hopefully still sleeping Elsa (if she could even find her way back) when Markus finally stopped in a dirt clearing.

The time she waited in the bushes for him to set up camp and fall asleep felt like the longest moments of her life. But luckily for her, the man fell asleep as soon as he curled up in his sleeping blankets around the fire.

Anna carefully walked out of her hiding place and around the wagon to where she saw the clothes were tied down.

 _Dammit_ , she growled in her head, struggling to untie the knot that bundled the clothes to the wagon. Giving up on the intricate knot, the redhead pulled at the clothes until, one piece at a time, they came out of their carefully folded confines.

 _Yes!_  Anna grinned when she finally pulled the clothing free.  _She'll just have to deal with purple, I guess,_ she absentmindedly thought. _It's the only thing I can really get out. I guess I could try for the brown one on the bottom…No, it'll take too much time. I need to get back before Elsa—_

"Who's there?"

Anna's blood ran cold. For a fleeting second, she thought about making a break for the treeline, but doing so would force her to pass by Markus and hope he didn't catch her. She pressed her back against the wagon, holding her breath and clutching the clothes to her chest.

Markus rounded the wagon. While he may have looked short in comparison to the behemoth he was standing with before, he was by no means small. He easily towered over the Arendelle princess.

The two stared at each other for a tense second before the man's face split into anger. He strode forward, reaching to grab her. "What do you think you're—!"

_THUNK_

Markus' eyes rolled back before he fell heavily to the ground, unconscious.

" _What_  do you think you're  _doing_?!" Elsa snarled. Anger wafted off her in thick waves, and frost snapped in the air around her. She held Anna's cloak at her side in a deathgrip, her knuckles turning white.

Any relief Anna felt from seeing the blonde evaporated at the thunderous growl in her voice. She immediately regretted having to go pee. "E-Elsa," she stuttered. "What…are you doing here?"

Elsa stepped over Markus' unconscious form, her teeth bared and her muscles tensed as if ready to tear something—or someone—apart. "What am  _I_ doing here?! What are  _you_ doing here?!" she spat, her words dripping venom.

"I...I-I had to go to the bathroom," she lamely said.

"Four miles away?! Do you not realize how dangerous the forest is at night?! Do you  _want_  to be bear food?!"

Anna said nothing, her face heating with shame.

Elsa threw the cloak at Anna's chest, the redhead stumbling to catch the fur while not falling backwards from the blow. "We are leaving.  _Now_ ," she growled, her voice as comforting as an iceberg. She grabbed Anna's upper arm and dragged her towards the treeline.

"Wait!" Anna yelled, her fear only slightly ebbing. She dug her heels into the ground and tried to wring her arm free despite the pain it caused her when Elsa tightened her grip. "Elsa, wait! Please!"

Anna dug her nails into Elsa's hand and wrenched her arm free in a burst of frantic energy. She jumped away from the blonde before she could catch her again. " _Elsa_ ," she said as evenly as she could manage in an attempt to calm the furious woman. "Elsa, listen to me, please. You need clothes," she pleaded.

" _What_?" Elsa growled, her canines flashing dangerously.

Anna held up the clothes she pulled from the wagon. "You and I need clothes. _You_ especially. I didn't want to go off by myself, honest, but then I got lost and found this merchant guy and he had clothes so I followed him—a-and I swear I was just going to grab the clothes and come back—but then he just kept going and I was going to come back but you  _really_  needed them so I—"

Elsa silenced her with a growl. "Anna, I told you I'm  _fine_. The cold doesn't bother—"

" _I don't care_!" Anna yelled, her face as red as her hair. Elsa flinched at the sudden outburst.

Anna took a deep breath to calm herself. "I. Don't. Care. You need clothes," she said in a tense voice. "The cold may not bother you, but I don't like seeing you get carelessly scratched up. I don't want to see you hurt anymore.”

Elsa stared at her, her seething anger evaporating into an afterglow of frustration. Anna pushed the clothes into her hands. "Now get dressed," she ordered.

Elsa watched Anna march back to the wagon, rummaging for more clothes. She blinked, looking down at the purple cloth in her hands and running her thumbs over the smooth fabric.

A clearing of a throat made Elsa look up. Anna had another set of clothes in her hands.

"What?" Elsa dumbly asked.

"I said 'Could you please turn around.' I'm going to change."

"Oh…um...right." Elsa quickly spun around. The sound of soft grunts and cloth sliding over skin tickled her ears until her face burned.

She allowed herself to indulge in the foreign sound for a second longer before shaking her head.  _Just put on the clothes_ , she thought, unfolding the material in her hand.

Elsa paused.

It was a dress.

It was a purple dress.

She strode to the wagon, the dress held tight in her hand. "I am _not_ wearing this," she stated, going to where the other clothes were and rummaging for a proper outfit.

"What? Why not?" Anna asked, fitting her feet into black boots. She was clad in a long-sleeved blue dress with a black embroidered corset. The bear pelt cloak was draped around her shoulders.

"It's a dress."

Anna crossed her arms. "Very observant. Now put it on."

Fed up with pulling at the cloth bundle, Elsa cut the rope with a conjured shard of ice. "I don't wear dresses."

"Why not? You would look great in one."

"They're just…They’re so _impractical_. How are you supposed to fight in one if your legs are always fumbling together?" Elsa pulled out a dark blue, almost black, tunic and pants and quickly slid them on. They fit snugly on her body. The tunic laced up at a V in the front, but the sleeves were too long for the blonde's liking.

"…What are you doing?" Anna asked.

"Fa fleeves are foo flong," Elsa mumbled around the bundle of shirt sleeve in her mouth before tugging again to try and tear it off with her canines.

"That doesn't mean you rip them off!" Anna strode to Elsa's side. "Come here." The redhead rolled up her sleeves to just above her bicep. "There. See? No tearing needed."

Elsa curiously inspected the neat folding. "Ugh…Thank you."

Anna flashed her a smile before going back to the wagon to tidy it up. They may be thieves, but they could be tidy thieves.

The sight of a brown box made her pause her folding.

"Anna, what are you doing? We have what we need. Let's go," Elsa said, tapping the redhead's shoulder.

"One second!" She quickly finished up the clothes and pulled out the brown box.

Elsa frowned. "We don't need that. Leave it. We've stolen enough already."

Anna turned to Elsa, an inhumanly large smile plastered on her face. "But, Elsa, it's  _chocolattteeee_."

"Put it back."

The princess waved a hand. "Oh, come now, you won't be so quick to get rid of it once you try it." She opened the box and plucked out a piece, offering it to the blonde.

Elsa shoved her hand away. "No. Now put it away, and  _let's go_."

Anna's face fell into a stubborn scowl. "Try it," she commanded.

"Anna, I said no."

"Try it."

"You do realize that this man will only be knocked out for so long, yes?"

"Eat the damn chocolate."

" _Papa_?"

Anna and Elsa froze. A little boy, eyes wide and the blonde tuft of hair on his head disgruntled from sleep, peeked around the wagon.

"Who are you?" he innocently asked. "What happened to Papa?" The boy waddled to his father's unconscious body, his little hands shaking his torso. "Papa, are you okay?"

When his father didn't respond, the boy started to cry.

At the sight of tears, Anna immediately ran to his side. "Hey hey hey don't cry," she cooed, wrapping an arm around his trembling form. The boy buried his face into her side, his small fingers grabbing handfuls of her dress.

"B-But Papa's…Papa’s not getting up," he sobbed.

"That's…That’s because he's sleeping."

The boy sniffled and pulled his face out of Anna's dress, his watery eyes searching her face. "Sleeping?" he squeaked.

"That's right." She looked to Elsa for some kind of help, but the blonde just stood there, almost too terrified to breathe.  _Some help you are_ , Anna groaned to herself. She looked back down at the boy. "Your Papa saw me and my friend walking down the road and asked us to help him sleep."

The boy's tears began to dry. "How did you help him sleep, lady?"

Anna blinked. "Well um…ugh…," she sputtered. "I-It's a grown-up secret. You'll learn it when you're older."

The boy's eyes lit with understanding.

_Kids are so gullible._

"Can you help me go to sleep too?"

_Shit._

"I'm sorry, hun, but it only works on adults," Anna quickly said. "Why don't you grab your Papa's blanket and go to sleep like normal?"

The boy's eyes glossed over with the beginnings of new tears. "But…I'm scared. I don't want to go to bed alone without Papa," he whimpered. He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Can you stay with me, lady?"

Anna bit the inside of her cheek. They couldn't stay. Markus was bound to wake up at any time. But they couldn't just leave a little kid…

Anna jumped in surprise when Elsa silently crouched beside the boy. The blonde waved her wrist and a small snowman materialized in her palm. The boy's eyes widened, his jaw falling slack.

"See this?" Elsa softly asked. The boy nodded. "This is Olaf. He's scared too."

"Why?"

"Because he's so small. He's afraid someone will step on him."

The boy gasped in horror. "Can't you make him bigger?"

Elsa gave a small smile. "I could, but then he wouldn't be Olaf anymore.” She reached for the boy's wrist and put the snowman in his hand. "Do you think you can protect Olaf and help him sleep? He doesn't like being alone."

The boy vigorously nodded. "Uh-huh."

Anna struggled to keep her jaw from falling open. She watched Elsa pick up Markus and lay him on his sleeping mat near the fire. The little boy waddled along and plopped next to his father, wrapping the man's arm around him for a pillow.

"Won't he melt?" the boy asked, carefully holding Olaf against his chest.

Elsa placed the blanket over Markus and the boy. "Olaf is special. He likes warm hugs. Now lay down and close your eyes."

As soon as the boy did as instructed, Elsa placed her hand at the crook of his neck and pressed on the nerve that she knew would knock him out. The boy didn't even flinch from the maneuver, his breathes evening out into small snores.

Elsa nodded to Anna, and the two made their retreat. The boy would be fine in the morning, but Markus might have a sore neck for a few days.

Anna sped up to reach Elsa's side. The blonde gave her a wary look. The redhead's smile unnerved her.

"What…?" she cautiously asked.

 _"Nothing~"_ Anna sing-songed, popping a chocolate into her mouth. "You are _such_ a softy."

"I am not—you took the box?"

"Yes. Now eat it before I shove it down your throat," she playfully demanded, shoving a chocolate into Elsa's face.

Elsa glanced between Anna's face and hand before she begrudgingly took the foreign substance between two fingers. It had a strange glossy surface. She gave it a tentative sniff, but it didn't smell like anything she recognized. Cracking it open with her fingers, she found it had a somewhat chalky consistency, almost like a broken ball of hard clay.

"Oh for the love of—just eat it already!"

Elsa gave the treat one last wary glance before she popped the pieces into her mouth, slowly chewing.

Anna felt her excitement deflate when Elsa had no reaction after swallowing the treat. Not even the slightest smile that chocolate seemed to magically give people.

She reached into the box for another.

Anna laughed. "Told you you'd like it!" she cheered.

Elsa blushed and looked away with her signature stoic face.

Then she grabbed another, Anna giggling like a maniac while the two of them ate their treat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Whoo chapter 7 **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	8. Keep Going Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Just wanna say I appreciate every comment you guys leave me. **
> 
> ** Y'all rock! **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Anna burrowed her head in her cloak, trying to hide from the blinding morning sun. Its heat pooled into her new clothing like a molten blanket, a soothing comfort against the ever-chilling weather.

 _Ow_ _._ A sharp probing in her ribs forced her to shift, nearly blinding her from the sudden sunlight cracking through the folds of her cloak. She arched her body off the ground, determined to go back to sleep. She eventually gave up and rolled from her spot with an irritated grunt.

With a scowl, she sat up and threw the stick into the bushes.  _Damn forest. How Elsa can sleep on the bare ground like it's normal is beyond me._

She glanced around, surprised to find the bundle of leaves next to her vacant. It was strange for the blonde to be gone, but even stranger that she hadn't woken her up. With all of her talk of getting her home as soon as possible, Elsa wouldn't have willingly let her sleep as long as she did, regardless of how late they stayed up the prior night. It was already afternoon judging from the airy blue hue of the sky and the crisp nip of the fall air.

Her muscles tensed to attention when a faint grumbling ground the through the calm air.

_What the…?_

She stood up and walked towards the sound, her curiosity forcing her forward like a bloodhound on the chase. She followed the grumbling until it cleared to familiar grunts and growls.

_Elsa?_

Anna peeked around a tree, careful to keep her feet from crunching the fallen leaves.

Elsa was sitting on the ground, her back towards her. Her angry growls rose and fell in frustrated intervals as she pulled at her knotted hair, her fingers uselessly tugging at whatever order she was trying to make.

"What are you doing?"

Elsa jumped in her seat, a pulse of frost racing over the ground. She spun and stared at her with wide eyes, her body bristling with surprise. Anna almost laughed at the blonde as she tried to compose herself.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," Elsa mumbled, her brow settling back into a scowl.

Anna snorted. "I thought you could smell me a mile away? Your super senses failing you now?"

Elsa growled, though it sounded more like a half-hearted effort to bandage her wounded pride. "I can't when you're downwind."

Anna rolled her eyes, leaning against the tree. "What the heck are you doing to your hair?" she asked, giggling at the knotted mass attached to Elsa's scalp.

Elsa blushed a deep shade of red, averting her gaze. "Nothing. I was doing nothing. I don't know what you're talking about." She fiddled with the trim of her shirt. "It got tangled last night, and I was brushing it out."

Anna raised a sharp eyebrow. "Mmmhmmm..." She tilted her head to inspect the blonde's hair, almost laughing when she noticed the misshapen form of a braid chevron.

_Gods forbid she ask for my help._

The princess knowingly smirked, the corner of her lip quirking upwards when she noticed Elsa grow suspicious. "Can I brush your hair for you?" the redhead asked, her tone reminding her all too much of Gerda's when the handmaid asked her a question that she already knew the answer to. "As you may have noticed, I have experience with taming wild hair." She sat on a log.

Elsa's pupils widened fractionally. An emotion of surprise or hope danced through her eyes before she became guarded again. She cleared her throat. "I suppose. I was going to anyways, but if you must, then go ahead."

Grinning, Anna motioned her to sit between her legs. The blonde was hesitant, moving to settle on the ground just out of arms-reach. Anna had to pick her up from beneath her arms and drag her the rest of the way, earning her a menacing growl that she brushed off with a roll of her eyes.

Even though Elsa's hair was relatively filthy (as was hers considering neither of them had bathed since their forced trip down a waterfall), it was surprisingly easy to untangle. She unknotted wannabe chevrons and combed her fingers through her hair to get out smaller knots, her fingers moving through the platinum silk like it was running water.

Elsa relaxed between her legs, her shoulders slumping and her muscles releasing their tightly wound tension. Anna smiled when she felt the blonde lean into her touch whenever she ran her fingers over her scalp, and she could imagine that Elsa had her eyes closed.

 _It's like I have her under a spell_ , she thought, watching in amusement as Elsa softly swayed back and forth with her hand strokes.

It was only when she started braiding that Elsa woke up from her small trance.

She stiffened under Anna's touch when she parted her hair into three groups. "What are you doing?" Elsa asked, her voice laced with a genuine curiosity.

"Braiding your hair," she responded, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh." Anna's smile broadened at the strained eagerness in the blonde's suddenly small voice. Elsa shifted on the ground. "O-Okay." It took all of Anna's willpower not to squeal at how adorable the normally vicious blonde was being. Wild, savage, ice-sorceress  _Elsa_  had just  _stuttered_. Snow in the middle of summer would have surprised her less.

Years of practice helped Anna finish the French braid a minute later. She tied the end with the string Elsa normally used for her ponytail. " _Voa-la_!" she exclaimed, tossing the braid over the blonde's left shoulder. "It's finished."

Elsa's hands immediately found her braid, caressing and petting the new texture like it was a new toy. Her lips split into a smile. A  _real_ smile. The kind of smile you only see from kids on Christmas day.

Anna found herself smiling as well. "I'm glad ya like it."

Elsa blinked at her, suddenly realizing her drop in character. Her hands dropped to her sides, and she made a small choking sound. "Mhm."

Anna knowingly laughed, and Elsa's face heated to a tomato red.

"Um…T-Thanks…," Elsa mumbled, scratching the back of her neck.

"Pfft. You don't have to thank me. That's what friends are for."

Elsa turned to her. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. She settled with a meek smile.

Not noticing the blonde's hesitation, Anna shot up from the ground and put her fists on her hips. "Now, come on!" she exclaimed, pointing into the distance. "We have a lot of ground to cover since  _somebody_  let us sleep in. Onward!" Following her own lead, Anna began marching.

Elsa rolled her eyes, walking in an adjacent direction. "This way, Anna," she corrected, grabbing the scruff of Anna's dress before the redhead wandered past her.

Anna stumbled behind her before she gathered her bearings and continued her march. "Right. I knew that. I was just testing you. We are in _my_ country after all. I knew exactly where I was going."

Elsa shook her head, a laugh bouncing out of her chest as she followed the princess through the forest.

 

* * *

 

"My turn! Okay, um...How old are you?"

Elsa looked away and tried to discretely count on her fingers, mumbling each number under her breath. Anna desperately struggled to hide her snicker.

"Twenty-one," she finally said.

"Good."

"Good? Why good?"

"Just making sure I'm not traveling with an old lady." Elsa growled, the blonde receiving the opposite desired effect when Anna simply laughed in return. "I'm eighteen by the way."

"The eight is right, but I'm not so sure about the  _teen._ "

Anna puffed her cheeks. "Hey!" Now it was Elsa's turn to laugh. "I am way more mature than an eight-year-old, thank you very much!" She held her chin high, her strides adapting a regal gait. "You'd do well not to forget that you are speaking to a  _princess_. Humph."

Elsa held up her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry." she said, placating the redhead. Anna smiled triumphantly. "… _At least_  eight and a half."

"Elsaaa…"

Elsa reined in the last of her laughs. " _Okay,_ " she chuckled. They had only been at it for less than an hour, but her face had long since begun aching from her incessant smile. It had been so long since she had been happy. She supposed it would have to be worked back into regularity like any other muscle. "What's your favorite—"

Elsa halted mid-step. "Stop," she ordered, her voice leaving no room for question. She held her arm out to bar Anna from moving further.

"What's wrong?" Anna whispered, looking around. They were walking through a thick of trees. Bare canopies wove their naked branches overhead, and dead leaves covered the ground in a thick layer of brown and orange. "Is it a—"

"No," Elsa stiffly responded. Her eyes scanned the ground through narrowed slits. She threw an ice shard at a nearby tree, creating a metallic ‘ _snap_ ’. "It's not a bear." Bending down, she picked up a stick and tossed it ahead into a pile of leaves. Anna yelped and jumped closer to Elsa when something in the leaves snapped the stick in half.

She hesitated from asking Elsa what it was when she saw a gleam of silver through the dead leaves.

"It's a trap," she stated.

"Yeah," Elsa mumbled, looking around them and noticing the slight glimmering of metal in the leaves surrounding them. "And we walked right into it."

Anna looked up at her. "What do we do?"

Elsa looked behind them, cursing under her breath when she found metal littered under the leaves behind them as well. She was too distracted to notice them earlier. How they made it this deep into this minefield was a miracle. "We'll have to keep moving forward. Just be careful and follow right behind me."

Anna nodded, waiting as Elsa took a cautious step before following behind her with her hands on her taller shoulders. "Elsa," she prompted, though neither stopped. "Why don't you just use your powers? You can blow them away."

"I can't." Elsa pointing at a tree’s branch. "See that?"

Anna squinted. "I see something...shiny?"

"It's an alarm. Each of these has one. I cut the wire on the one from earlier, but it would be impossible to disable every single one."

Anna hummed her understanding, again concentrating on following Elsa's footsteps.

_But…_

But why would these traps be laid here in the first place? Crow and the other men hunting Elsa should know that she doesn't live this far down the mountain. But then again, who was to say it was Crow? It could just as well be some persistent trapper trying to fill a quota for furs or a woodsman trying to remove a bear from his territory.

 _But that still doesn't explain why there are so many. And in such a particular spot. It seems like such a waste when there is so much ground to cover in this wilderness._ Anna's brow furrowed. _Unless…Unless Crow can anticipate Elsa's movements well enough to know that she takes this specific route to Arendelle. He did say he'd been after her for a long time. But why would she..._

Anna peered over Elsa's shoulder. "Hey, Elsa," she asked, keeping her voice low as to not distract the blonde too much. "Why did you come to Arendelle?"

Elsa paused long enough to spare her a glance before she continued. "What brings up that question?"

"Well…why would you come to Arendelle if your home is all the way in the Northern Mountains? If it’s hidden well enough, why risk coming out where it's easier for you to be seen? And why Arendelle of all places?" she hesitated to add,  _to the city that’s trying to kill you_.

"I was living in my other home."

"Other home?"

"I have hideaways all over the country. Or at least...I  _had_  them...," Elsa explained, a bit of reluctance woven into her words. "I can't stay in one place too long with… _him_  always two steps behind me," she snarled. "The ones in Arendelle and the Northern Mountains are two of the few he hasn't destroyed yet."

Anna shrunk back at her words, guilt crawling up in her chest. "I…I'm sorry, Elsa."

"…Don't be," she said. "It's not your fault. I realize that now. I shouldn't blame you for things that your father’s done. That _you_ haven’t done."

Anna stared at the ground.  _Yes it is. I've done nothing to stop them. That makes me just as guilty._

 _But doesn't she deserve it?_  whispered a voice in the back of her mind.  _She's a murderer…_

_But…But she's—_

_She's nice? She's helping you?_  her conscience sneered.  _She made a_ deal _with you. This is only part of the transaction._

Anna shook her head, forcing down her thoughts and concentrating on the imprints Elsa's feet made in the leaves.

 

* * *

 

They continued on for some time in silence, the soft crunch of leaves underfoot being the only noise besides their breathing.

Elsa fought off a shudder.  _No. Just stay calm._  She took a deep breath, taking another cautious step once she deemed it safe.

She briefly thought about setting off an alarm once they were in the clear. It would call Crow's men (or whoever the hell set these traps), and they could take Anna back to Arendelle and she would be free to go her own way.

 _No_ , she thought, shaking her head again.  _Princess or not, if they find her, they'll…_

A growl rose in her throat.  _I'm not going to let that happen_. _I—_

Something thin and cold pressing against Elsa's ankle brought her to an immediate halt.

Her first instinct was to push Anna away, and she could hear the readhead's ' _oof!_ ' of impact with the ground just as a weight crashed into her.

Anna sat up in time to see Elsa thrown to the ground, tangled in a chain net. The blonde tumbled to a painful stop at the base of a tree, nearby traps and snares snapping from the wind suction she created.

"Elsa!" she yelled, her voiced drowned out by the chorus of metal chimes and clangs. Hot adrenaline shot through her veins as she scrambled to her feet, rushing to Elsa's side where the blonde struggled to untangle herself.

Elsa grabbed the thick links of chain, trying to freeze the metal brittle to snap it, but the iron was too thick. She growled. Every movement seemed to pull the chains tighter around her, the metal links pinching into her skin. She would have felt the pain where the pinches drew blood if not for her heart racing out of her chest.

"Hold on, Elsa!" Anna yelled over the alarms as she struggled to free the blonde.

Their combined efforts proved useless. The whole net was frozen over, and no matter how hard they tried, the metal wouldn't give.

It wasn't long until they heard horses galloping towards them.

Elsa fought to push her hands free enough to get Anna's attention. "Anna!" she yelled. "Anna, listen to me!"

The redhead paused for only a second before tugging at the chains again. "This isn't exactly the time, Elsa!"

"ANNA!" Elsa roared, causing the girl to pause with a flinch from the loud sound. "You have to get out of here! If they find you, they'll  _kill_  you!"

"I am  _not_  leaving you!" she yelled back, pulling the chains with a new vigor. "They'll kill you too!"

The thunderous galloping was just over the rise.

"Anna,  _RUN_!"

" ** _Shut up_!** "

Elsa's skin hummed with fear when the men appeared over the hill beside the small 'pit' where the traps lay. They were clad in scraps of armor, an assortment of weapons strapped to their hips and saddles.

"Hey, we go— _What the **fuck**  are you doing_?!"

Anna panicked when the men spurred their horses down the hill, quickly closing the distance between them.

 _Think, Anna. Think. Think. Think._  She frantically looked around, ignoring Elsa's screaming. The redhead pulled a nearby snare to the end of its leash and snapped it at a piece of frozen chain in the net. The brittle metal gave way like broken glass.

Elsa immediately reached out her hands from the net, one shoving Anna out of the way and the other shooting past her to erect a barrier of spikes between them and the men that were nearly on top of them. The horses reared and bucked at the sight of the icy barrier, one throwing its rider.

Anna helped Elsa out of the net. They had some difficulty since the hole she made wasn't exactly big, but a few scrapes were a small price to pay for life.

Elsa shot to her feet as soon as she was free, ice flying from her hands. "Run, Anna!" she yelled, freezing an arrow in a wall of ice. She threw a deafening flurry at the path in front of the redhead, hidden traps springing their alarms to life. "I'm right behind you!"

Anna pelted down the snowy path, making sure the blonde was following her. She could hear the men's grunts of pain as Elsa fought them back.

The mouth of a cave caught her eye as she slid around a large oak. "Elsa, come on!" she yelled, sprinting towards the opening.

Luckily for them, the cave wasn't just a small bowl in the side of a hill that would have trapped them. The pair ran blindly through the vast darkness, a wall of ice blocking their pursuers as they wove through the tunnels.

Finally, they came to a halt, wheezing and bending over for breath. Anna leaned against the cold wall, hearing Elsa plop on the ground somewhere beside her.

"You… _*pant pant*_ …you okay?" Anna managed out. Sweat dripped down her nose onto the stone floor.

Elsa coughed from where she laid on the ground. "Yeah. I'm…'M fine," she wheezed. "That much magic… _*pant pant*_ …takes a lot outta me."

Anna nodded, though Elsa couldn't see it in the pitch black darkness. "I-I think we lost them," she stuttered, straitening up.

She covered her eyes when a blue light suddenly illuminated the cave. She lowered her hand and blinked into the light as her eyes adjusted, finding the source coming from a flurry dancing over Elsa's wrapped palm.

"Yeah…" Elsa pushed herself up and brushed her clothes off with her free hand, wincing when she patted a cut from the chains. "That one’s new."

Anna looked ahead of them. The black maw of the cave yawned before them, stalagmites hanging like crude teeth.

"What do we do now?"

"I guess we just keep going forward."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** A shorter chapter than I would have liked but...meh **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	9. Closer and Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

They'd been walking for hours.

The cave twisted and turned, leading them through various passages like they were ants lost in their own hill. The air was thick with moisture, making every inhale fill their lungs like lead. Elsa couldn't even smell Anna standing right beside her because of the thick earthy scent.

Anna's stomach cramped with hunger, an unmannered growl rumbling from her abdomen. She clutched it with a grimace. They hadn't eaten since their meager breakfast of berries that morning.

"Anna?" Elsa called. Anna continued a few paces until she realized her friend had stopped. The blonde eyed the walls of the cave. "I don't know this place. Maybe we should go back."

Anna rose an eyebrow. "What? Do you  _want_  to die? Those guys are probably waiting for us back there," she said, surprised that Elsa would even suggest such an idea.

Elsa looked back from where they came. "I suppose you're right...," she mumbled.

Anna scowled. Something about the blonde's doubt unnerved her. _She_ was the guide. Why should she be hesitant about a little cave?

Anna shook off the falter in her confidence, turning left into another passage.

 

* * *

 

"Elsa, can you stop shaking the light?"

Elsa whipped her heard towards her, sparing her a startled expression before she went back to looking at the walls. She hadn't noticed her trembling hand. "Oh. S-Sorry."

Anna frowned. The blonde had been jumpy ever since they came to their first dead end. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Yeah. I'm fine," Elsa quickly said. A light sheen of cold sweat glistened on her forehead.

Anna stepped towards her. "It's okay to be afraid, you know. I don't like the dark either."

"I'm  _not_  afraid," Elsa sternly said, straightening up. "I just…don't like being unable to smell what's ahead of me."

 _Liar._ Anna frowned but decided not to press the matter further. Something was obviously bothering the blonde, but if she didn't want to tell, then she wouldn't pry.

The ground became wet as they continued forward. Hard stone turned to gravel and shallow water, and droplets dripped from the ceiling into wide puddles.

But where there was water, there may be an exit.

The two of them sped up their pace, eager to be out of the cave. The tunnel got tighter as they moved towards the sound of dripping water. Anna could touch both the sides and the ceiling without completely extending her arms.

The echoes of their footsteps got quieter as they neared the end.

Anna's eyes widened.  _No._  She jogged the rest of the way, her heart plummeting to her stomach when she touched the hard, unforgiving stone of yet another dead end.

Elsa ran to her side. "Nononono…," she mumbled, pressing against the stone with her free hand. " ** _Dammit!_** " Anna flinched away at the sudden shout. In a flurry of movement, the light extinguished from Elsa's hand and she punched the wall, ice shooting from her fists and illuminating the cave in a flash of blue. " ** _No! No! No! No!_** "

Anna jumped out of the way to avoid being impaled by the spikes sprouting from the wall. "What are you  _doing_?!" she yelled. She shielded her face with her hands, her eyes throbbing from contracting and dilating from every flash of light from Elsa's magic.

The ceiling groaned, and dust shook onto their heads as the earth around them loosened from Elsa's beating. Anna grabbed one of the blonde's arms, forcing her to stop.

But the sudden movement tilted Elsa backwards, and her next thrust of ice shot into the ceiling.

The ceiling shook like a crash of thunder. Anna pulled Elsa to the ground and braced her hands over her head, gritting her teeth when she heard the earth above them give way and collapse. A suction of air blew against them like a hurricane wind.

She stayed down for a handful of seconds after the crashing stopped. She coughed from the cloud of dirt flooding her lungs and stinging her eyes. Elsa immediately wrenched free from her grip, her light again in her hand.

The ceiling behind them had collapsed. They were trapped in a space barely big enough to lie down in.

Elsa ran to the new pile of rubble, her eyes wide and her breathing frantic. " _Look what you did!_ " she screamed, her eyes wild.

Anna balked. "What _I_  did?!" She jumped to her feet. "Excuse me, but  _you_  were the one shooting ice everywhere!"

Elsa turned away with a snarl. "I knew we should have gone back!"

"For what? So those guys could kill us?" Anna cried incredulously.

Elsa strode to her, her face a contortion of blind fury. "I could have stopped them!"

"Not all of them! You said so yourself an hour ago!"

Elsa spun away, pacing between the narrow walls and touching each side with her free hand. Her fury left her in a heartbeat, her angry growls replaced by whimpers.

"How could you lead us to a cave?! A CAVE! It's  _your_  fault we're trapped here!"

"My fault? You were the one who got caught in a trap!"

"I told you to _run_!"

"I wasn't going to leave you there!"

Elsa shook her head, her breathing coming in short, shallow spurts. "I knew I should have just stayed away from you! You are such a useless idiot!"

Anna blinked, her shoulders rising from the random accusation. "I'm not—"

" _Yes_ , you are!" Elsa snarled, speeding up. "You're dumber than a rock! Those thugs were doing your bloody father a favor by kidnapping you! Hell,  _he_  probably hired them to save his country from being ruled by a complete  ** _moron_**!"

Anna said nothing, ignoring what Elsa was saying and concentrating more on the thick frost caking their small hallow. She slowly put up her hands. "Elsa, you need to calm down," she softly said.

" ** _AHHHH!_** " Elsa roared, pulled her hair. She turned to the pile of rubble trapping them, sending off a fresh barrage of ice. " **GET! ME! OUT! OF! HERE!** "

The lights of Elsa's magic suddenly stopped, but the sounds of her attacks didn’t. "Elsa, stop!" Anna ran forward to calm the blonde again, but when she reached for where she thought her arm was…

 _…she grabbed fur_.

Anna had no time to think about the thick fur balled in her hand. Elsa  _roared_ , the sound leaving her deaf for a second before her hearing was reduced to a mind-numbing ring, and flung her away, the redhead's back hitting the opposite wall in a painful thud.

Anna stood up with a groan. It was pitch black without the light of Elsa's magic. Growls consumed her hearing like crushing thunder, snarls and the bone-chilling gnash of claws against stone barely audible under their deafening volume.

" _Elsa!_ " she yelled, more out of fear of the creature in front of her than to get the blonde's attention. She— _it_ spun to face her, the loud thud of hands far too large to still be human planting themselves on the stone above her shoulders. Its panting breaths wheezed hot and fast over her face, and she squirmed against the wall when claws dug into the stone by her ears in a gruesome, shrieking grate.

Terrified teal stared into pulsing red, the crimson orbs shinning like newly spilt blood. Another roar deafened her.

Anna's scream died in her throat, her knees going stiff beneath her.  _Be quick. Oh gods above, please just let it be quick._  She choked on the knot in her throat and closed her eyes, determined not to go to her death a sobbing fool. A tear betrayed her and ran down her cheek.

One second passed. Two seconds. Three.

Nothing.

Thinking she must already be dead because  _why would a monster hesitate to kill its cornered prey_ , Anna opened an eye, her lashes trembling and clouding her gaze.

The red eyes were still there, illuminating the beast's furry cheeks in an ominous crimson glow. It noticed her attention and weakly snarled. Its gaze quivered, and it took Anna a long minute to notice it was shaking. Some liquid dribbled onto her skirt, what must have been froth from its panting maw.

 _It's...scared._  Anna turned to properly look at it. The red eyes began dimming and brightening like a heartbeat. What was intended to be a growl came out as an exhausted whine from the creature.

Anna blinked.  _It's...Elsa._

_Elsa's...scared._

Anna's hand trembled as she reached out to touch a furry cheek, an empty growl rumbling beneath her hand. "E-Elsa?" The beast's breathing slowed. Anna held its other cheek as well, surprised by how large its head was.

Labored pants calmed to tensed breaths, the crimson orbs softening before fading back to a familiar hue of arctic blue.

"Elsa," Anna calmly said, but with more confidence. She tilted the furry head to look closer at her. "It's me. Anna." She hesitated before adding, "I'm your friend, remember?" She chanced a small smile and softly petted the sides of Elsa's face. "You need to calm down. It's just me. You're safe."

It was a long minute before Elsa slowly blinked. Anna felt the head in her hands shrink and morph back into human form, soft skin replacing thick fur.

Elsa's eyes lost their glow, leaving Anna to stare into the blackness where she held her face. The blonde's breathes came out in shallow wheezes, and her body trembled, ready to collapse.

Anna rubbed her thumbs over her cheeks to calm her. " _Elsa_ ," she softly said. "Elsa, calm down. You're okay." A hard tremor racked Elsa's body as she continued to hyperventilate.

Frowning, Anna took Elsa's hand and held the shaky palm to her sternum, ignoring the way the blonde moved like putty in her arms. "Come on. Breathe with me." She took a deep breath and held it for a moment. "In…Out…In…Out…"

Anna couldn't tell how much time passed. All she concentrated on was Elsa gradually following her lead, her quick breathes evening out to deeper, regular inhales that eventually synchronized with her own. She kept her hand on her face, cradling the blonde's head and rubbing soft circles under her eye.

She smiled when Elsa's breathing calmed, but her trembling was still a concern. She was shuddering like she was freezing to death.

"You're alright, Elsa. I got you." A bead of moisture ran into Anna's thumb, and she gently wiped it away. "It's okay to cry."

At her words, tears ran down Elsa's face like water from an opened faucet. But through it all, she was as silent as a grave, never even whispering a sob.

It felt like forever until Elsa relaxed. The blonde leaned back and took a deep breath, Anna's wet hand falling from her cheek.

Anna blinked as Elsa reproduced her light, the blue glow shinning off her face. Anna sent her a reassuring smile, but Elsa looked away from the gesture in almost shame.

The space between them grew awkward. It was obvious Elsa didn't want to talk.

That conversation could wait till later.

"Okay," Anna said, refocusing to the problem at hand. "We're getting out of here."

_But how?_

She looked around. They were pretty firmly trapped.

 _Elsa already proved we can't blast our way out_ , she thought.  _At least, not on those two sides…_

Anna crouched by the left side of the tunnel, pressing her ear against the stone and knocking with her fist.

"I think…," she said, moving up and down. "…You can get us out of here into that other tunnel. The one we saw before we went down this one. Their entrances were pretty close together, so they should run beside each—"

Anna stood up with a grin, her hand over where she heard a hollow knock. "Here!" she said. "Elsa, take a shot right there, and we should be home free!"

Elsa did as she was told, not even looking in Anna's direction as she obediently formed her magic in her hands and shot towards the spot.

For a terrifying second, Anna thought they were going to be crushed. The grinding the stone made as it fell away sounded too much like the ceiling collapsing.

She jumped through the new opening, smiling victoriously when she found herself standing in a larger tunnel.

She paused when she noticed the light not moving with her out of the hallow. She turned to see Elsa standing still, absentmindedly staring at the ground.

"Elsa, come on," she said.

Elsa didn't move.

Anna grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. Elsa looked down at the source of contact before dragging her eyes up.

Anna smiled reassuringly. "Come on," she said, walking forward with Elsa's free hand still firm in her grasp.

 

* * *

 

The blonde silently walked beside her, their hands still entwined. Even when Anna relaxed her grip to let go, Elsa held on like she was her lifeline.

Anna looked up at her. Elsa was still staring forward, caught in her own trance. The soft blue light of her magic shined off her ivory skin.

The blonde had a light sprinkle of nearly white freckles over her nose that dissipated just under her eyes, like someone had sprinkled snow over her face. Her mouth was slightly open, showing off a peek of pink tongue and glimmer of white teeth that sharpened to a point at the canines.

Anna bit her lip and shook her head.  _DEFINATELY not the time, Anna..._

"Wait," the blonde ordered, pulling Anna's hand.

"What?" Anna looked around. "What is it?"

Elsa did nothing for a long second, but her left ear twitched in the smallest of movements. "There's water down there. Moving water."

"Then we should go check it out. Running water has to lead out to somewhere."

"It also makes the earth softer…," Elsa quietly said, reminding her of their earlier incident with the ceiling.

"Can we just check it out? I promise we'll turn right back around if it looks bad."

Elsa looked unsure, but she still nodded, letting Anna pull her hand to guide her forward.

It wasn't too long after that they found the source of water that Elsa had heard. It was a river. A narrow one, but it was deep.

And it had fish in it.

"Elsa, look!" Anna exclaimed, letting go of the blonde's hand and crouching at the riverside.

"They're…fish."

"Not just any fish," she said. She motioned Elsa over. "Look! They have _eyes_.”

Elsa arched an eyebrow. "Yeah…Fish tend to have those."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Not if they live in caves. If this was their home, they would have no eyes, or they would be on top of their head. They don’t need to be able to see because there’s no natural light in here. But look…," she pointed at the fish, "…normal eyes. These fish had to get in here somehow."

Elsa's face lit up. "So if we follow where they're coming from—"

"Then we'll have our way out!"

Elsa smiled, the two of them standing back up. "Lead the way, princess."

Anna giggled, taking Elsa's hand again and walking down the river's side with a fresh skip in her step.

 

* * *

 

Elsa was right about that tunnel.

Anna lengthened her strides when the walls groaned again, praying that they wouldn't be buried alive when freedom was just ahead of them. Elsa wasn't faring any better. Frost froze over the ground at even a whisper of tumbling rock.

Elsa suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Anna asked.

Elsa's face split into a smile. "I can smell fresh air!" she exclaimed, taking off at a sprint and dragging Anna behind her.

Anna struggled to gather her bearings, trying not to fall flat on her face from Elsa's speed.  _Damn, she has a strong gri—_

_OOF!_

Anna collided face-first with Elsa's back when the blonde came to a sudden stop. "Hey!" she groaned, rubbing her sore nose. "Why'd you—"

Her jaw fell open. _Oh._

They had found their way out, but it was a crack to freedom. Literally. The river thinned to a foot wide, just barely narrow enough to slide between the crevice cracked into the cork of rock blocking the exit.

The walls around them shook again, loosened from both the water and from Elsa's earlier episode.

"We…We have to go through there…" Anna said in a small voice.

Elsa heavily sighed. "Yes. We do." Releasing Anna's hand, she walked towards the narrow opening. "It'll be a tight fit, though."

"You go first," Anna said, placing a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder. "I'll be right behind you."

_If I go first, she may be too scared to ever get out. I'll push her through if I have to._

Elsa blinked down at her. "But—"

"No buts!" Anna said, cutting her off. She nudged her forward, sending her an encouraging smile. "Now get a move on. We don't have all day."

Elsa sighed, knowing she would get nowhere arguing with the fiery redhead. She took a deep breath, stepped into the river, and began her shuffle through the crack.

The rock pressed against her front and back to the point that her chest couldn't completely expand to breathe. Pieces of stone jutted into her ribs and legs, and she took care to move slowly to avoid being cut.

She felt her heart begin to race at the thought of being trapped. She couldn't even turn her head to look back at Anna.

She paused, the desire to thrash out of the stone's grip becoming hard to resist. Sweat poured down her face, and her breathing quickened as much as the stone allowed it to.

"You're almost there, Elsa!" Anna yelled somewhere behind her. "Just a little further!"

Thirty excruciatingly long seconds later, Elsa freed one arm, then her torso, and then finally the rest of her body. She took a deep breath. Her muscles ached and it felt like a boulder was just rolled off her chest, but she couldn't be more relieved. Her clothes had snagged on a few juts of rock, nearly ripping them to shreds.

She turned to the crack. "Anna, be careful. The rocks jut out a few feet in."

"Got it!" Anna turned in, keeping her eyes on Elsa as she struggled with shuffling through. Elsa made it look easy. It required a lot more strength to push herself through than she realized.

Anna had barely make it a third of the way through when cave groaned, and she screamed when the walls surrounding her trembled.

"Anna!" Elsa yelled, frantically pacing at the exit as she watched the princess struggle to move in the trembling rock. "Anna, come on! Move faster!"

"I can't!" She squirmed, crying out when a stone pierced her thigh. "I-I'm stuck!"

Fear coiled in Elsa's stomach like a snake. She growled, shuffling back into the crevice. Focusing on the redhead in front of her helped her ignore how much tighter it now was. "Hold on to me!" she yelled, grabbing Anna's forearm.

Anna grabbed Elsa's wrist in a deathgrip. Tears blurred her vision when seconds passed and all Elsa's tugging managed to do was painfully yank her shoulder and press new bruises into her arm.

Then suddenly, like a cork shooting from a champagne bottle, her body was pulled free. The redhead yelped when the stone in her thigh cut through her flesh, but she ignored the pain as she limped the rest of the shuffle out.

The two fell over each other once they were free from the rock, Anna’s shaking body collapsing like a puppet with cut strings. The crevice behind them shuddered and cracked, the small opening becoming lost in a slide of rubble.

Then, silence.

Elsa sat up, groaning as a weight slid down her chest. She coughed from the sudden rush of dust at her face and looked down. Anna was curled in her lap, desperately clinging to her neck with her face pressed into her collarbone.

She dumbly stared at the princess. It took her a second to realize that Anna was shaking and that her shirt was quickly becoming damp.

Something clicked in her brain. She instinctively wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, holding her trembling form close. "Hey…," she softly cooed, pressing her cheek into Anna's hair. "Anna, you're safe now." Anna trembled harder, a silent sob making her grip tighten around her neck. Elsa tightened her grip in response. "Don't worry. I got you."

The two of them sat there, Anna's occasional sniffle being the only noise around them. Elsa pulled her closer to her warm body, rubbing circles into her back as she recovered from her shock. She smiled when Anna finally relaxed, her tense body unraveling to putty. Elsa let her arms fall to circle around her waist.

Anna mumbled something into her shirt.

"Hm?"

Anna pulled her face away just enough to expose her mouth. "I said you still haven't told me why you're hot."

"Well, I believe my mother has to take credit for that."

"Elsa…"

Elsa laughed, the warm sound ricocheting through Anna's body and drawing a smile to the redhead's lips. "I…I can make it that way. It’s what helps the cold not bother me."

"Hmmm…," Anna mumbled, digging her face back into Elsa's shirt.

Anna scowled into the navy blue material when she felt something rumble from Elsa's chest. It was too consistent to be a growl, but too throaty to be a mucky breath. It was a comforting sound. Its soft pit-pat tickled her ears in a relaxing way that made her want to sleep.

Anna's eyes widened, and she abruptly pulled back, startling her blonde friend.

"Are…Are you _purring_?"

The rumbling immediately stopped. Elsa's face turned red enough to burn. She sputtered but quickly collected herself to make a half-hearted scowl. "N-No, I'm not."

Anna smiled so wide it was almost painful. "Yes, you are!"

" _No_ , I am  _not_!" Elsa squeaked, sounding very much like a pouting five-year-old.

Anna laughed. "Oh my gods! All this time I thought you were like part wolf or something, but you're just a pissed off cat!"

Elsa looked away, growling at the blush that heated her cheeks. "Shut up…" she mumbled.

Anna let her laughter die down. Elsa had enough embarrassment, though the redhead couldn't see what there was to be embarrassed about. Still smiling, she cuddled her face to the side of Elsa's neck. "Thank you for saving my life. Again."

Elsa's muscles locked up when Anna's breaths brushed against her throat. "Y-You're welcome," she stuttered, swallowing hard.

Elsa awkwardly sat there, not sure what to do since Anna showed no intention of letting go of her neck anytime soon.

"Do…Would you like me to carry you?" she asked uncertainly.

"Hmmm...no. I'm fine with sleeping here," Anna said, snuggling impossibly closer to Elsa's warmth. The blonde could feel her smirk against her neck.

"Anna…" she groaned, resisting the urge to pry the younger girl off. “We've been stuck in this cave all day. We need food. _You_ especially after what you’ve been through for the past week."

Anna tightened her grip. "No."

Frowning, Elsa removed her arms from Anna's waist.  _I warned you~_

The sudden drop in temperature from her human pillow made Anna jump back with an indignant squeal. She quickly distanced herself from the blonde and rubbed her now cold fingers together for warmth.

She shot a glare at her giggling friend. "You are _cruel_."

Elsa smiled, hopping to her feet. "Come on, princess. It's about time we set up camp again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** This one was very fun to write. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	10. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Idk how I have the time to write, but here ya go **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Elsa crouched beside the cooking fire and stoked the embers with a stick. The flame dimly burned at the edge of the cave as a rabbit cooked on a spit, the fresh meat slowly darkening to a cooked brown.

The exit of the cave was a surprisingly great campsite. The cave mouth shielded the light of their fire and gave them a barrier to the wind. Though Anna seemed to disregard the latter fact.

The redhead laid in the grass, just out of reach of the firelight. Her hands were comfortably tucked behind her head as she gazed up at the velvet night sky. Her eyebrows were scrunched together in thought, and she bit the inside of her cheek.

Crunching grass behind her alerted her to Elsa's presence. She tilted her head back to look at her. The blonde's clothes, though new, already looked year worn.

 _We've been through a lot_ , she fondly thought.  _I'm honestly surprised we made it here alive._

Elsa looked down at her. Her cloth-covered hands fiddled with the sides of her pants. "What's on your mind?"

Anna shrugged. Her neck began to hurt, so she tilted her head forward so she was looking at the sky again. "Just thinking."

"About…?"

"Nothing, really. I was debating whether or not Gerda cleaned my room for me while I was gone. It would suck for me to have to go through that mess when I get back tomorrow."

Elsa was silent for a long moment. "You're a terrible liar, you know."

Anna tilted her head back in a sharp movement that made her neck twitch. Her brow furrowed into a pouting scowl. "I am not! That's really what I'm thinking about."

Elsa crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Hmmm."

" _Hmmm_  yourself," Anna half-heartedly spat. She sat up and turned around to properly look up at the blonde. "If anyone here's a bad liar, it's you. So  _hmmm_ ," she said, sticking her tongue out.

Elsa blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah, Mrs. I'm-afraid-of-the-dark-but-I'm-too-cool-to-admit-it."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not afraid of the dark."

"Then why did you freak out back there? You went completely ice crazy, and then you sortof...sortof…" Anna trailed off, her voice dying to a whisper. She looked at Elsa and found the older woman looking away. "…changed."

Elsa sighed heavily, almost in defeat. Anna immediately regretted bringing up the subject. But before she could change it, Elsa spoke.

"I…don't like small spaces…" she softly mumbled. She shuffled her feet and tightened her arms around her middle. "They remind me of things I'd rather forget."

"But what about your place in the Northern Mountains?" Anna cautiously asked. She didn't want to cross any boundaries, but she still wanted to know what was causing the blonde pain. "It was pretty close-quarters."

"I don't really sleep there if I can help it. It's mainly a place to store my supplies."

Anna bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she quietly said. "I didn't mean to ask something that would make you uncomfortable. I wasn't thinking."

Elsa looked down at her, her attitude doing a nearly complete one-eighty. Either she washed away her feelings on the matter, or she had a great poker face. "Don't be. It's…kindof nice to talk about it." Though still skeptical, Anna smiled. "Now stop trying to change the subject. What were you thinking about?"

Anna puffed her cheeks. "Promise not to make fun of me?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. Again. "I promise."

Anna gave her a long, serious stare before she turned to lie back down in the grass. "Okay. So I was looking at the dippers, right? And I thought that the big dipper and the little dipper could be siblings, ya know? Like in some sort of lore. I know the stories don't say anything like that, but I think it would be interesting. They are a lot alike and all. Even though the big dipper is the only one that actually dips. Like a big pot. The little one really kindof scoops."

"…Dippers?"

Anna tilted her head back. "Yeah. You know." She pointed up. "The constellations."

Elsa looked up for a long second before looking down again. "I don't get it."

"Oh. Well, ugh..." Anna scratched her cheek. "They’re the shapes you make out in the stars. You know. Orion, Leo—those things.”

Elsa looked taken aback. "You…" She studied the sky for a handful of minutes, her brow furrowed and her eyes searching for something she couldn't see. Her gaze eventually fell back to Anna. "You see pictures in the stars?"

"Well, yeah." Anna frowned. "How do you not know the—Oh!  _Duh!_ " she exclaimed, smacking her forehead. "Isolation, no human contact—forgot about that!" she laughed.

Elsa tilted her head, still confused.

Anna patted the grass next to her. "Here, lie down. I'll show you them. They're pretty cool."

Elsa slid to the ground as instructed, folding one hand on her stomach and the other behind her head comfortably.

"Now," Anna began, pointing up. "See that little cluster of stars over there? That's the little dipper. And just below that is the big dipper." She traced the constellations with her finger as she spoke. "And that's Orion. The stars make his body and bow so it looks like he's firing an arrow. He's not my favorite, but he's pretty cool. And then there's—Oh! You'll like this one. See that triangle-looking one over there? That's Leo. He's right below the pot of the big dipper."

Anna turned. Elsa was squinting, her brow furrowed. Anna couldn't help but stare at the way she thoughtfully chewed her lip. Soft tissue pursed beneath teeth that exposed a sharp canine. The princess’ throat suddenly ran dry.

"I don't see it," Elsa finally said. She turned to look at the redhead. Anna nearly jumped. Elsa caught her stare and blushed from the discovery. The deep red spreading across her cheeks jumped to Anna's, warming her neck in embarrassment.

"U-Uhm…," Anna stuttered, trying to play it off. Her heart sped to hummingbird pace when Elsa looked away. "I-I—"

"Could you...comeclosertoshowme?"

Anna's head snapped up. "What?"

Elsa's throat bobbed thickly, and she stared at her free hand playing with the end of her shirt. "I-I can't see the pictures like you can. You could point them out if you were…you know…closer." She nervously glanced at her. "I-If you want," she quickly added. "It's just hard to follow when you're over there."

Although 'over there' was maybe an arm's length away, hearing Elsa say it made it feel like a league, and Anna immediately wanted to close that gap. "Sure!" Elsa flinched from the quick, squeaky response. "I-I mean, I'd love to if it'll help," she said, meekly smiling.

It took two scoots to get their sides touching, and the flush contact did something to Anna that made her whole body shiver with a liquid hot chill. Her eyes widened when Elsa lifted her arm to invite her even closer.

_Deep breathes, Anna. Deep breathes._

Anna slid against her side with a final push. Elsa lowered her arm to give her a pillow for her head, and Anna had to stab and kill the urge to cuddle in the secure embrace. Their sides pressed flush against one another. She could feel every rise and fall of Elsa's chest, and she felt her temple brush against her cheek.

"Okay…," Anna slowly said, keeping the shakiness out of her voice as best she could. "Which one do you want to see first?"

"Whichever one you want to show me." Anna suppressed a shiver when Elsa's warm breath fanned over her ear and cheek.

She swallowed hard. "O-Okay. Let's start with the easy one. See that really bright star?" she said, pointing up.

A long moment passed as Elsa squinted at the sky. "Uh-huh."

"That's the end of the little dipper. And if you draw a little line up with those other stars, you make an upside-down pot. Then right below it you see another, bigger pot that's rightside-up."

"Oh!" Elsa breathed in silent exclamation. "I see it!"

Anna smiled. "And then right down to the side of the big dipper is the triangle that makes Leo."

She could practically feel Elsa smiling, and she giggled when she whispered in awe.

"So someone just stared at the sky and drew pictures with their mind?"

Anna laughed. "No no no. There's much more to them than that. There's history and mythology and zodiacs and all sorts of things that made them."

"Is it normal for humans to know all that stuff, or is it just a princess thing?"

"Mostly a princess thing, but there are a lot of normal people who like stargazing." She giggled. "When I was little, my mother would take me to a hill behind the castle and show them to me. But…But then she died," Anna said, her brow furrowing. The memory, though old, still stung. "I was pretty young then, but I still go there sometimes. Although it's...it's just not the same."

Elsa fidgeted, repositioning herself against the redhead. "My...M-Mine too," she stuttered in a broken mumble. She dry swallowed. "My mother died, too. When I was young."

Anna's turned to look up at the blonde. "You had a mom?" she blurted.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Of course I had a mom. Everyone does. I didn't pop out of the ground."

Anna flushed crimson. "Sorry sorry. I just...I thought you were always, you know, on your own."

"I was, basically.” She paused. “…I can't really remember her that well, but I do remember that we were always moving. Humans don't take too kindly to how we look. Once we were chased out of a village because they thought we looked like demons with our blue eyes and white hair."

Anna's chest swelled with sadness and a slight anger. "That’s horrible. I can’t imagine having to live like that. It must've been really hard."

Elsa shook her head and shrugged. "Not really. My mother always made sure I was happy, one way or another. The only hard part was when we couldn't find food." She smiled. "Whenever I was sore from hunger or woken up from a nightmare, she would make snowmen with me to cheer me up."

"So she had powers like you?"

"Yeah."

"How young were you when…when it happened?"

"…Too young," Elsa sighed. "I was eight, I think. She came back very sick after hunting. She was gone for only a couple of hours, but she came back like she had been sick for days. She told me she was fine, but I knew she was lying. Then she told me we had to run. She was so scared. I had never seen her so scared before. It terrified me.”

Elsa let her eyes roam the stars. “It was night at the time, but I think she was covered in blood. It was too dark to tell. We only made it a few dozen yards before I realized that something was seriously wrong. She…she just looked so _tired_. She could barely walk. She told me to run. And then, she fell…And she didn’t get up."

"What did you do?"

Elsa closed her eyes, her face contorting into a long-lost pain. Anna felt her muscles tense against her. "I was scared. I tried to get her to get up, but she couldn’t. She was gone. I didn't know what to do. I knew something was coming for us. It smelled like humans. So I ran...like she told me to. I left her there, and I ran until my legs gave out."

Anna laid her hand over Elsa's, gently entwining their fingers. Her wrapped palm was as cold as the night air and sat limp in her grasp, but she felt her slightly relax from the contact. Her stomach twisted in grief for her friend, but she was touched by how Elsa trusted her enough to tell her so much.

"I didn't know how to hunt yet, so I snuck into small villages to steal food. I…It didn't really work." Elsa turned her head towards Anna's. At this distance, their noses were nearly touching. Arctic blue flickered around teal. "When you saved me that night, it was the first time anyone ever did anything for me."

"Well…that’s because everyone else doesn't know you."

"You didn't either," Elsa softly countered. "But you did it anyways."

Anna dumbly opened her mouth at a loss for words. Whatever retort or reason she could have thought of died on her tongue as she stared into calming arctic blue.

Elsa finally tore her gaze away. "Everyone else just… _hates_ me, and I don't know why." She tightened her grip on Anna's hand. "I never asked for this…for this  _curse_. I never used to think I was a monster, but since I'm the only one…what else could I be?"

Anna rubbed her thumb over the back of Elsa's hand. "Your gift isn't a curse, Elsa. I've seen your powers protect me ever since I've known you."

Elsa looked at her with pleading eyes. "You don't understand, Anna. I've hurt people," she said, her voice almost cracking. "I didn't mean to—I didn’t _want_ to—but I did. And I almost hurt  _you_." She looked at their hands. "I'm a monster."

Anna's gaze hardened. "You are not a monster, Elsa."

"But—"

"No. I don't ever want to hear you say that again, understand?"

Elsa flinched back at the harsh tone, but nodded all the same. Anna smiled at her, an action that made it increasingly difficult to not reciprocate the gesture the more Elsa saw it.

The night air grew stale as the two sat in the grass, simply enjoying each others' presence and staring at the stars. Anna was beginning to think that Elsa intended on them sleeping in that spot before the blonde finally spoke again.

"What about you?" Elsa asked after a pregnant silence. "What was your mother like?"

"Welllll…my mom wasn't exactly your typical queen," she said, light laughter bubbling beneath her words. "She and I were like twins. Two peas in a pod. Sure, she wasn't the smartest person in the world, but she knew how to have fun. Like me, of course," she added as an afterthought, smiling when it made Elsa chuckle.

"Papa was happier back then, too. She was the light of his world." Anna's face fell. "She was murdered. Her carriage was attacked on a trip back from Corona."

Elsa curled her arm tighter around the redhead. Her warmth soaked into her skin, and her gentle touch helped calm her. "Papa changed after that. We used to hang out all the time, but now it's like he's avoiding me, holing himself into his study. The only time I can spend time with him now is if he reprimands me for pranking my lesson masters. He wants me to be this perfect, smart princess…but I just can't."

Elsa sat up, bringing Anna with her so they could sit face to face. She kept their hands linked together between them, her other arm resting on Anna's shoulder. "Anna, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You're not stupid, and you shouldn't think that about yourself."

Anna sniffled, her eyes glossing over. "No no, it's fine, really," she insisted, wiping stray moisture from her eyes.  _Gods, Elsa had childhood trauma and I'm crying over a fucking low I.Q_. "It's true. I know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer." She tried to smile to hide her tears, but the attempt made her lip quiver.

Elsa ducked her head, forcing Anna to look her in the eye. "Anna, you are the smartest person I know. You got me out of that trap, helped us escape Crow's men, led us out of the cave—I wouldn’t be alive right now if it weren't for you." She gave a small smile. "And you're not just smart. You're a kind, compassionate, warm-hearted, beautiful young woman, and your father is lucky to have you for a daughter."

Anna stared at her.

Elsa blushed. "I-I'm sorry. Did I—Was that too much?" she mumbled.

She waited for Anna to respond, and was horrified when the princess' shoulders shook harder and fresh tears bubbled into her eyes.

"Nononono, Anna, I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I didn't mean—"

The blonde nearly fell backwards when Anna threw herself into her arms, sobbing into her shoulder and tightly holding her neck.

Anna quickly pulled away. She wiped her face, sniffling and trying to get herself together. "S-Sorry," she said. "I know you don't like touching and stuff."

Her eyes widened when Elsa gently pulled her back, her warm arms tightly wrapping around her smaller body. "I love warm hugs," she mumbled against Anna's hair.

Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck, relaxing into her protective embrace. She sobbed herself into exhaustion, but Elsa never let her go.

She fell asleep to the lullaby of a purr.

 

* * *

 

Anna smiled broadly as she was led through the castle hall. The sights and smells of home were more welcoming than she anticipated. Servants and friends welcomed her exuberantly, hugging and fussing over her until one of them had enough sense to run and tell her father that she was safely home.

The redhead smiled, remembering that morning.

_"I think I may stick around for a bit," Elsa said, tightening the wrapping around her palm._

_The two of them stood at the treeline on the end of the Kingsroad. Castle Arendelle was in sight and just a few hours away, and this was where they were to say their goodbyes._

_Anna turned to her companion. "Where will you stay?"_

_"I told you I have a home around here. I'll have to make sure you hold up your end of the bargain, yes?"_

_"Oh. Right. Of course," Anna said, scratching the back of her neck. "Will…Will I be able to see you again?" she tentatively asked._

_Elsa held her chin, humming in thought. '"I suppose…," she drawled, trying to act reluctant as a smirk lit her face. "Go northeast from where we first met until you see a vine grove. I'll be around there."_

_Anna smiled from ear to ear. "Great! I'll come see you tonight. I can bring chocolate from the castle and some blankets and we can look at the stars again! Or maybe—"_

_Elsa placed the tips of her fingers over her lips, silencing the redhead. Anna's heart nearly stopped from the touch, and Elsa leaning close to her almost made her feint. "I look forward to it," she said with a smirk._

Anna blushed at the memory, but she was pulled from her thoughts when the guards escorting her stopped in front of her father's study. She held her breath as each of the knights took a handle and opened the doors, preparing herself for the cold tongue-lashing she knew she would receive.

Anna had never seen her father look anything less than pristine. He drilled her in the importance of presentation and appearance, and settled for nothing less than the face of a competent monarch. So to say that she was shocked by his current state was a  ** _vast_  **understatement.

The king was hutched over his desk, absentmindedly writing a document. His red hair was parted in a greasy fray, and his uniform was wrinkled like he hadn't changed his clothes since the day before.

"Your Majesty," boomed the two guards, clicking their boots together and saluting.

Agdar looked up. Dark, nearly black bags hung deep under his blood-shot eyes.

"Unless there is a fire, I don’t—"

The king saw Anna and froze, his jaw falling open. "…Anna?"

Anna nodded, a smile creeping onto her face. She probably looked like trash, but her father didn't seem to care in the least. "Hi, Papa."

Agdar shot from his chair, nearly stumbling over his own feet. He grabbed her in a steel hug that took her breath away. " _Anna!_ " he cried, nearly shaking. “Oh Anna Anna Anna…my baby girl…”

Anna didn’t move for a long second. No yelling. He hadn’t yelled at her. Didn’t even scowl.

She finally returned his embrace, burying her face in his uniform. "Yea, it’s me…I'm home, Papa."

King Agdar did his best to compose himself, but his eyes were wet. "You," he gestured to one of the guards. "Tell Kai to cancel my audience with Lord Nokk. I…my daughter’s home,” he said, holding Anna as if the redhead would suddenly disappear.

The short remainder of that day passed by in a fast blur. Anna explained what had happened to her, but her father cut her off as she was beginning to explain the rough treatment she endured at the hands of her captors.

“You are home, and you are safe. I know enough to start a search for those men. Castle security will also be tightened, of course. And Ser Kristoff wi—“

She listened to her father go on about implementing new security measures as Kai brought them tea and chocolate cake. Dr. Geri was eventually called to give her a check-up, but Anna shooed him away with reassurances to him and her father that she was perfectly fine now that she was home.

Agdar dug out an old chess board that Anna remembered watching him and her mother play on when she was a girl. Her father was clearly still running on anxious energy, covertly using the game to focus his thoughts as they talked.

It was when she declared checkmate in their first game that Anna remembered her promise. About the deal she had made.

She looked up at her father. She had almost forgotten how he looked when he smiled.

 _It…It can wait till later_.

Her father didn’t let her leave his study until late that night, escorting her to her room and demanding two guards stay at her door at all times.

As she laid in bed, Anna couldn’t stop hot guilt from snagging its claws into her chest as she thought about a certain blonde alone in the woods, waiting for a friend who wouldn’t be returning that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Dun dun dunnnn... **
> 
> ** Hope you liked it. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	11. Rawr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Elsa adjusted her seat on the thick tree branch she was perched in. Bark scrapped against her arm, and she rubbed her sleep-heavy eyes.

She had slept in that tree. She had waited. She had waited until dawn, but still there was no sign of her supposed friend.

She sighed and leaned against the trunk, letting one of her legs dangle while she hugged the other to her chest.

 _All humans are the same_ , she thought.  _I was a fool to think anything different._

But Anna was different.

At least, she thought she was.

_She has her family. I've made my use. She doesn't need me anymore._

Elsa looked at the pool of blood splattered on the ground beneath her. She was angry last night to say the least. Angry and hurt. Unfortunately for a stray doe, it caught her at the peak of her turmoil, and now a pool of blood was all that remained of the creature.

It wasn’t quite morning. The sky was a peachy pink, and the sun hadn't peeked over the horizon yet.

_I might as well stay around for a little while. At least until I get enough supplies to make the trip back again—_

Elsa’s head snapped up, her nostrils flaring and her mouth parted.

_Anna._

She silenced whatever elation her heart felt with a snarl. She wanted nothing to do with that human.

"Elsa!" Anna called, looking around. She was wearing a thick green and yellow winter dress with long sleeves. A large sack was flung over her shoulder. "It's me! Anna! Your friend who didn't mean to abandon you last night!"

Elsa glared at the approaching redhead, suppressing a growl in her chest.

Anna walked beneath her tree. She was breathing heavily, and she shifted the apparently heavy bag over her shoulder. "This was way further away than I thought," she wheezed, rubbing sweat off her brow.

Elsa stood up, careful not to make any noise.  _It would have been easier if you came last night like you promised._

"Elsa! I'm sorry!" Anna yelled again. She trudged a few more paces. "I got really caught up with my father and things were just really hectic—and I'm sorry! I made a mistake and I'm sorr—"

Anna's eyes widened. She stopped walking and dropped the bag. "E-Elsa…?" she shakily said, staring at the mass of blood painting the forest floor.

She spun around. Hot fear raced through her blood and quickened her breathing. "Elsa!" she called again. "Elsa, t-this isn't funny!"

Elsa snorted and rolled her eyes.  _Figures she would be scared of a bit of blood._

She watched Anna pace. "I-It's all my fault…," she mumbled, her voice cracking.

Elsa quirked an eyebrow.  _What?_

Anna sunk to her knees. "They got her. They followed us and they got h-her." A hard tremble shook her body. "It's all my fault. I made her stay here, and it's all my fault…"

Elsa tried to ignore the hot dagger piercing her chest when the redhead choked on her words. She looked away and gritted her teeth, her hands balling into fists.

Anna’s shoulders shook as she continued to berate herself.

_Don't cry. Don't you dare cry._

Anna choked out a tearful sob on her next word. She doubled over, face in her hands.

_Dammit._

With a frustrated snarl, Elsa jumped down. Her whole being ached when Anna's tear-stained face whipped towards her. "Elsa!" she yelled, jumping up and scrambling over to her. She lunged at the blonde, wrapping her arms around her in a crushing hug.

Anna buried her face in Elsa's shirt, breathing in the scent she was scared she would never smell again. Relief flooded over her like a rush of cold water. "Elsa! You're okay! I saw the blood, and I thought you'd been—"

She pulled back to look up at the blonde, and she immediately stopped talking. Elsa's face was back to her stoic mask. She didn't even flinch at the hug she was giving her. She stood stock still.

Anna hesitantly pulled away. She wiped the wetness off her face. "Elsa…?"

Elsa shoved past her, and Anna stumbled to the side, blinking in confusion. Then she remembered why she came out here. "Elsa, wait." She picked up her bag and jogged after the blonde's longer strides. She reached for her arm. "I'm sorr—"

Elsa spun around the second her fingers brushed her skin. She snarled, baring her pointed canines. Anna shrunk back, genuinely fearing that Elsa was going to attack her.

The blonde let her snarl die to a growl. Her eyes hardened to icy chips that glared into frightened teal. She abruptly turned and continued to walk away.

Anna froze where she stood. She must have hurt Elsa pretty bad for her to have reverted to her old self overnight.  _Well, chances are that you're the first person she's ever trusted, so yeah, she's probably pretty pissed._

She jogged after her. "Elsa, please wait. I'm sorry—really _really_ sorry. I didn't mean to abandon you last night, honest."

She followed her into a denser part of the woods that was littered with horse-sized boulders. Elsa made a sudden turn and disappeared behind a screen of vines and ivy that was hidden between the rocks.

Anna hesitated only a second before following after her. Behind the curtain of green was a short stone tunnel that led into an area that made her jaw drop.

_Holy…hell…_

The place was _ginormous_. It was a large valley of thick grass and tall trees that was split by a wide, lazy-moving river. The hidden cove was surrounded by walls of stone, like it was lying in a giant bowl. The trees stayed more-so to the edges, leaving the river and middle area clear for a grassy field.

Anna blinked out of her stupor and raced to catch up to her friend. "Elsa, let me explain, please. I just—"

She rammed face-first into an ice wall. She yelped and fell down from its sudden appearance, and her bag tumbled from her hands.

She sat up and rubbed her sore forehead. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to her feet and continued forward.

Elsa was almost to the other side of the stony cove. Anna could tell from her risen shoulders and clenched fists that she wasn't going to be stopping anytime soon.

The blonde stepped into a small cave, and a thick wall of cerulean ice shot up behind her.

Anna ran up to the icy door, beating her fists against it. "Elsa!" she pleaded, pounding harder. "Elsa, please let me in!"

No response.

Anna pounded and pleaded harder, but she was met with the same result. Defeated, she sank to her knees.

"Elsa…I'm sorry. I can't say it enough, but I'm so sososo sorry." she said, her eyes threatening to mist over again. "My father canceled a meeting yesterday." She smiled wryly. "Just for me. For the entire day. I was so happy. He…He was smiling again."

She sat back, wringing her hands in her lap. "So much was going through my mind. I just…I forgot, and I didn’t remember until it was too late to come." She took a deep breath. "But that's no excuse. You're a wonderful person, Elsa. The best person. Like, ever. I'm eternally grateful that you're my friend. Or, were my friend…And you don't deserve to be forgotten."

Anna stood up. She wrapped her arms around her middle. "I understand if you don't want to see me anymore. Trust is a fragile thing, and I broke it. But please, just…just know that I'm sorry."

Anna turned around but stopped when the ice door cracked open a fraction of an inch. She could just see part of Elsa's face.

"…In that bag." Elsa peeked more of her face out. "Did you bring the chocolate?"

Anna blinked, frozen in place for a solid six seconds.

"O-Of course!" she stuttered. She dared to smile, trying not to get her hopes too high when the ice completely dissipated. "What kind of person would I be if I didn't bring my best friend some chocolate, eh?"

Elsa gave a small smile. "Good. It would be a shame for me to turn you away because you didn't bring a proper peace offering."

Anna pouted. "I see how it is. You only like me for my chocolate. Elsa, I'm hurt."

"No…," Elsa smirked and flicked her in the forehead. "…now, you're hurt.”

Anna rubbed the sore red dot on her head. She couldn't help but smile when Elsa laughed at her.

"So…does this mean I'm forgiven?" she tentatively asked.

Elsa smiled and ruffled Anna's hair. "Yes. I forgive you."

Anna playfully swatted her away, protecting her hair with both hands.

"But do you really have chocolate?"

"Elsa, who do you think you're talking to?" the princess asked with an arched eyebrow. "Of course I really have it. I brought a bunch of stuff, but I grabbed chocolate from my personal stash to sha—"

Elsa ran past her before she could get another word in. Anna’s eyes widened, and she chased after her as Elsa made a beeline for the bag. The blonde quickly untied the top and tipped it over, a small pile of miscellaneous items tumbling onto the ground. Her eyes locked onto a medium-sized brown box, and she quickly snatched it up.

"Elsa! Don't you dare!" Anna ran up to her just as she picked up the box. "Those are to  _share_!"

Elsa grinned, jumping away from the redhead with the speed of a mischievous wood nymph.

_"Elsa!"_

The blonde ran to the edge of the cove. She stopped by an ancient oak tree next to the cave she went in earlier, held the box between her teeth, and shot up into the branches.

Anna caught up minutes later. She leaned against the massive tree, huffing and puffing. She looked up and found Elsa reclined against the trunk, tossing a chocolate into her mouth and humming.

"Elsa, those are to share. That's my entire stash!"

Though the blonde was eating her prized possession, Anna couldn't help but smile when she heard her laugh. "This is your punishment," Elsa said, eating another chocolate.

Anna groaned. "I'd rather die."

Elsa rolled her eyes. She continued to eat the chocolate, the box quickly emptying.

Anna frowned. She balled up her sleeves and jumped, trying and failing several times until she finally grabbed a low branch and pulled herself up.

Elsa looked down at her. "Anna, what are you doing?"

"If you won't share, then…then I'll have to take them back by _force_ ," she grunted, hugging her branch and positioning herself to hop up to the next one.

"You're going to kill yourself."

"Pfft. Are you kidding me? I'm a great climber." She yelped when her foot slipped, her grip on the trunk the only thing that kept her from falling.

Elsa stood up, her brow furrowed. "Seriously, Anna. You're going to hurt yourself." The blonde jumped down, catching herself on lower branches to cushion her descent before she gracefully landed on the ground. "Just come down. I was only kidding.”

Sweat dibbled down Anna's back. She craned her neck to look down, dizzy from how high she managed to get herself.

She tightened her hold on the trunk. "I-I don't think I can."

Elsa arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Anna swallowed hard. "I'm…I’m stuck," she squeaked, her face heating ripe red.

Elsa put down the box of chocolate. "Here, just let go. I'll catch you."

"What?! Nonononono. Not happening."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Come on, Anna. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. It's me that I have a problem with. What if I hit something?"

"Just fall to the left, and you'll be fine. Trust me."

Anna hesitated before shakily nodding. _Yeah. Okay. I can do this. Just…let it go, I guess._

She gave the ground one last glance before she released the trunk and fell, screaming from the sudden weightlessness.

Familiar hands greeted her fall. "Oof!" Elsa caught her in open arms, holding her securely to her chest.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Anna blinked. Seeing Elsa's eyes soften with concern brought a smile to her face. "Yeah. Glad you caught me."

Elsa lightly laughed, not immediately putting her down. Anna blushed as the blonde shifted her to get a better grip on her knees, and she let her head fall against her shoulder. Elsa walked a few paces and set Anna down beside the small pile of things she had dumped from the bag.

"This is some place you have here. It's beautiful," Anna said, looking around.

"Thanks. It's my favorite hideaway, actually, and the only one I really called home." She pointed at the river. "The river is the best part, though. The water is always warm enough to hold fish, and it never freezes over. I went upstream a few years ago and found that it has these holes in the ground beside it that are filled with hot water. I think they mix together."

"Those are hot springs, I think. Or geysers. I'm surprised they don't hurt the fish because of all the chemicals and harsh minerals and whatnot. But I guess those are what make this place so green."

"Chemicals?"

Anna waved her hand. "It's complicated." The princess picked up a pillow from the pile of things. It was a blue one from her bedroom. "Anyways, I brought you some stuff that I thought you might like. I'm sorry if they're not all that fancy, but I couldn't take too much without someone getting suspicious." She handed her the pillow.

Elsa's eyes widened as her fingers sunk into the squishy blue mass. She held it in front of herself and gave it a tentative squeeze. Her face lit with wonder. "It's so…fluffy…." She tentatively held it against her face. Anna's familiar scent saturated the fabric and flooded her sensitive senses. The welcoming smell made her blood run hot and her ears hum.

Anna smiled as Elsa snuggled the gift. It humbled her to see someone who had absolutely nothing be reduced to an excited child over something as simple as a pillow.

The redhead dug through the pile. She had spices, flints, clothes, soaps, pots, blankets (also hers), and all other kinds of miscellaneous things. But what she was most concerned about finding at the moment, was a book.

Sure, she normally despised the paper demons, but this was different. She had spent three hours before dawn in the library searching for the tome, a large leather-bound book that weighed more than everything else in the bag combined.

She sat cross-legged and grunted as she pulled it into her lap.  _'The Corona Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom.'_

Anna lifted the cover, but before she could flip a single page, it was snatched from her lap.

"Hey!" Elsa held the book with one hand, letting the pages flip open. Anna thought she heard a rip. She lunged to take it back, but Elsa used her superior strength to keep her at arm’s-length as she analyzed the new object. "Give it back! You're gonna break it!"

Elsa curiously examined it while Anna strained against her. She laid it on the pillow in her lap and turned a page. There were pictures of all sorts of animals, most of which she had never seen before.

She pointed at one of the pictures. "What's this?"

The distraction caused her grip on Anna to momentarily fault, and the redhead grabbed the book back, holding it away from her. "It's an encyclopedia. And even though I hate books just as much as the next guy, you should be careful with them. It took someone a lot of work to make it."

Elsa cocked her head. "Why do you hate them?"

Anna reconsidered her words. "Well, I don't  _really_  hate them. I shouldn't hate them, actually. They're a great source of knowledge, and only a few people own them and fewer can use them."

She opened the book. A light blush lit her face when Elsa scooted close and peeked over her shoulder to get a better look. Her mouth slightly parted, and she furrowed her brow. "Why does it have all that dirt on it?" she asked, pointing to the paragraph below a picture of a lynx.

"That's not dirt, Elsa. It's words."

"No, they're not. You say words."

Anna giggled. "Yes, you do, but these are words, too. Someone wrote them down so other people can look at them instead of listening to them."

Elsa's brow furrowed further. "I don't get it."

"Here, let me try to explain it like this. You're Elsa, right?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Yes…"

"Your name is made up of four sounds. E, L, S, A," she explained, sounding out each letter. She took Elsa's hand and pointed her finger. "When you write, letters have certain sounds. So E, L, S, and A represent the sounds in your name." She drew the letters in the dirt with the blonde's finger.

"So if you read this now, you get…"

"Elsa…!" the blonde quietly exclaimed.

Anna laughed. "Yeah. And then my name is A, N, N, A," she said, writing her name below Elsa's.

Elsa smiled. She pulled her hand away, wanting to draw their names herself. 'Anna' came out fairly well, but 'Elsa' looked more like 'Elza.' Eventually, she was littering the ground with ‘Elzanna.’

Anna returned her attention to the book as Elsa redrew their names in the dirt. It was obvious that Elsa was part animal of some kind, in some weird magical way. The growling and canines were early proof of that. And it was made even more obvious after the incident in the cave that Elsa could shape-shift somehow, specifically into a feline if the purring was anything to go by.

"Elsa?" she asked. Elsa stopped her drawing and looked at her. "Can I…Can I ask you a favor?"

Elsa straightened up. "Depends on what it is, but sure."

Anna swallowed and glanced at the ground. "I know it's probably kindof nosy of me—and you don't have to if you don't want to—but I was…ugh…I was really curious about what kind of cat—a-and I’m just guessing that—that you…kindof were. Are. Half-are. You get it," she rambled. She took a deep breath. "The point is, I was wondering if you would... _change_  so I could see exactly what you change into and…and maybe identify it? I know that whatever it is will be awesome and totally beautiful because I mean, come on, look at you with two legs. I’m sure going to all fours will be just as amazing."

Elsa looked away. "I…I don't know, Anna…"

"I-It's okay if you don't!" Anna quickly said, flailing her hands. "Perfectly fine! It's your choice, but I just thought there would be no harm in asking, right? Just kindof throwing it out there, ya?" She sheepishly smiled, a bead of sweat running down her face, but Elsa didn’t meet her eyes. Anna immediately closed the book. "I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. I…I’m sorry. I knew this was a bad idea, but I just—"

"I'll do it."

Anna did a double take. "W…What?"

"I'll do it if you want me to."

Anna shook her head. "No no no, it's fine. Really. It’s _so_ really fine. Totally fine. My curiosity just got away from me again. Don't feel obligated to do it just because I asked."

Elsa gave her a small smile. "Anna, it's alright." She stood up. "I don't mind. It's just…" She looked away, grinding her teeth and scowling before she shook her head and looked back at the redhead. "It's been a while since I've shown it to anybody."

Anna opened the book again, poorly contained excitement bubbling in her stomach. "Well, if you're absolutely sure, then I'm ready when you are."

Elsa smirked.

Nothing Anna did to prepare herself for this moment readied her for seeing the blonde  _shape-shift_.

It happened so fast that she would have missed it if she blinked.

She had expected bones to pop or skin to stretch or clothes to tear like in the books she read about werewolves, but this was _completely_ different. The whole process was a fast, smooth transition. Sure, she watched skin stretch and sprout fur, and her face grew and enlongened to a muzzle, but it wasn't as, well,  _exciting_  as she expected.

But it sure as hell was breathtaking.

And she wasn't at all what she expected her to be.

In a split-second, Elsa had morphed into a feline whose size easily rivaled any horse, though her body was much longer and not as tall. Her legs and neck were as thick as logs, compact muscle wrapped taut beneath thick fur.

_She's a...tiger._

Except, she wasn't like any that Anna had ever seen before, not even in the circus' and bizzares that traveled the kingdoms. Thick black stripes ringed around her body and face, but where a normal tiger would have been orange, Elsa was gray. Almost silver.

Anna shot to her feet. "Holy hell, you're  _huge_!" Elsa's head came to about her shoulder, and she wasn't even completely straightened up. Elsa slowly blinked at her, her eyes the same chilling arctic blue.

Anna giddily laughed, frantically flipping through the book. "Here!" she exclaimed. She turned the book around, pointing out the picture to Elsa. Her tiger friend bent close to the page and gave it a tentative sniff with her pink nose.

Anna pulled the book back. " _Siberian Tiger_ ," she read. " _Not to be confused with its cousin, the Bengal, the Siberian Tiger is the largest living cat in the world. They live in some of the coldest regions on the planet and are very solitary creatures."_  Anna snorted. "Got that right…," she mumbled. Elsa lightly growled, but Anna waved it off with a laugh. She read some more to herself before scoffing. "Well this explains a lot.  _Like their other tiger relatives, Siberians thoroughly enjoy swimming_. And here I thought it was because you were a fish."

She continued reading. " _…Besides preferring solitude, Siberian Tigers are extremely territorial. They are normally aggressive to any and all intruders since they live in climates that limit their prey resources. Wolves and small bears are regularly hunted, and conflict within the species typically ends in a fight to the death._ "

Anna looked up at Elsa and poked her nose. "Pfft. Yeah right. You're _way_ too big of a softy."

With Anna still close to her face, Elsa laid her ears flat against her skull and  _roared_. The sound echoed around the stony cove, frightening away a flock of birds. Elsa's fangs were longer than Anna’s fingers.

Anna screamed and jumped away. Her book fell from her hands as she collapsed, and she reflexively scooted away from the beast before her. Her ears rang, and for a frightening second she thought she had gone deaf.

Anna righted herself, pushing up on her elbows to look at her tiger friend. "That was  _not_ funny!" she yelled, her voice cracking terribly. If it were possible, she could have sworn Elsa was smiling.

Anna fell against the grass with a groan, closing her eyes. Her heart was beating like a caged bird, and her fingers shook with adrenaline. She heard Elsa pad over to her and felt her moist nose gently prod her face.

"'M fine…," she mumbled, clutching a hand over her heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack, but I'm fine." She coughed, taking a deep breath. "Your breath smells terrible, by the way."

Elsa snorted in her face, a deep growl thundering deep in her throat, the predatory sound louder than anything Anna’d ever heard. The princess didn't have time to react before Elsa curled around her and plopped her _very_ heavy head and front paws over her torso.

Anna wheezed, but Elsa just closed her eyes in contentment, retracting and extending her large curved claws as she pawed the grass. Anna tried to push away the giant feline, but she may as well have been trying to move a tree. Elsa's head was larger than her chest, and combined with her front paws she covered her from chest to mid-thigh.

Anna flung her arms above her in defeat. She couldn't sit up with Elsa laying over her. She glared at the striped face that was smugly looking down at her. "You just had to have the last word. Didn't you."

Elsa closed her eyes, snuggling her face into Anna's dress. That was a ' _yes_ ' if she ever saw one.

Anna rolled her eyes. Breathing was becoming easier as she calmed down, but Elsa's weight did prove some difficulty, especially since one of her paws was laying over her throat and the other over her hips. She blushed and did her best to ignore the latter fact.

The thought of asking Elsa to get up did cross her mind, but she decided against it. She had no doubt that Elsa would move if she knew it was hurting her. However, she actually liked their current position. Elsa was like a giant, warm, fuzzy blanket.

Anna smiled when she felt her tiger friend purr, though it sounded more like a non-aggressive growl. She rested an arm over Elsa's paw and experimentally ran her fingers through the fur on her neck. Her smile broadened when Elsa's purr intensified, and she rubbed her face into her dress to give her greater access to her neck.

Anna's smile fell into a thin line. "Elsa?"

The tiger opened one icy eye.

Anna glanced away. "I'm…I'm sorry. Again. I was being a really shitty friend. I know you said you forgave me, but I'm still sorry."

Elsa slowly blinked before giving Anna's hand a comforting lick. The sensation was strange, but not entirely unpleasant. The pink muscle had rough barbs on it that felt kindof soothing against her skin.

Anna smiled. Elsa readjusted herself and closed her eyes, her purr still thundering from her chest.

"Thanks."

 

* * *

 

Anna felt weightless when Elsa finally got up. The void of her warmth left her shivering before her body readjusted, and she resisted running over to hug the blonde.

She watched Elsa shape-shift back to her human self. Black stripes and silver and white fur melted to human flesh and platinum blonde hair.

Anna held her breath until she realized that Elsa still had her clothes on.

"Doesn't that hurt? It doesn't look like it, but I mean, changing your body like that has to have some sort of recoil."

Elsa shrugged. "Not really. Tickles a little, I guess."

Anna hummed and looked at the sky. The sun was finally starting to arc over the horizon.

She sighed. "I hate to say it, but I have to get going. My father will have a heart attack if I'm not back soon." She turned to Elsa. "I don't want to make any promises that I can't keep, but I'll try to come see you every day, or whenever I can. I…I like hanging out with you."

Elsa blushed. "I-I like hanging out with you, too…” she stuttered. Anna smiled, and Elsa couldn’t help but reciprocate the gesture. “I can agree to those terms, Your Princessness," she drawled, swooping into a deep bow.

Anna laughed before clearing her throat and sticking her nose in the air with a squeaky monotone. "Rise, peasant. I order you to stay here and await my return. Unless of course you get bored and want to leave and do something…or get food because food is very important and—Anyways, you must promise not to permanently leave."

Elsa half-heartedly rolled her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Anna. At least, not for a while. Have you managed to…you know? The thing?"

Anna stared at her for a long second before she got what she was talking about.  _Our deal._  "Oh! That thing. Not yet. But I'm getting on it. I haven't managed to catch my father in a mood to do it, but I'll tell you as soon as I do."

The blonde smiled. "Good."

Anna glanced away, scratching her neck. "Oh and ugh…I was thinking. After I get everything settled with my father and Crow and whatnot…what are you going to do?"

Elsa looked taken aback. She furrowed her brow and rested her chin in her hand. "Well…" She suddenly blushed. "I was thinking about just staying here. It is my favorite place, after all. And besides…" Arctic blue met teal, and Elsa smiled toothily. "…I very much enjoy your company."

Anna smiled back, and her heart skipped. She didn't know exactly why, but hearing that made her extremely happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Things are finally getting jiggy. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	12. Just Keep Swimming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** A new chapter? Why not! **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

The next two weeks passed by in a happy blur for Anna.

Her lesson masters were quite lenient about her gradually getting back into her studies. Now she only wanted to bash her head into a wall every  _other_  day. She would have preferred to never start them again, but she wouldn't complain about the arrangement.

The whole castle seemed to sigh in relief when her notorious pranking antics came to an end with her father's new interest in spending time with her. It was weird at first. It was like she was re-introducing herself to him (and him to her), but they were family, after all, so their bond persevered with time. King Agdar was always bombarded with business and complaints from his council, but he reserved at least an hour every day for them to sit together and discuss their day.

It wasn't much, but it was everything to Anna.

Though every time they did, Anna had to come up with a new lie. It was no secret that she was still spending most of her free time outside the castle, but explaining what she was doing there to her father sometimes proved to be a challenge. He was concerned with her not taking Kristoff, their royal bodyguard, with her, but he let the matter slide with her reassurances that she was staying within reach of the castle.

It wasn't a  _complete_  lie.

Anna deemed it cruel for the gods to make the hours in a day so few and so short. It seemed that as soon as she reached Elsa's cove, she would be planning her leave. It drove her to such madness that she woke up before most of the castle servants to get her duties and lessons done so she could leave to spend time with the blonde.

She couldn't get the shape-shifter out of her mind. Sometimes when they were together, they would talk until the sun set, and others they would quietly lie in the grass, simply enjoying each others' company. It was weird how comfortable—how  _natural_ —it was to be with her. She felt like she could say anything to the blonde and be understood or empathized with. She didn't have to prove anything to her. She could just be _Anna_.

Anna smiled broadly as she stepped out of her room. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and she had finished her lessons for today the day before. Her masters were surprised to say the least, but they didn't question her new ‘ambition.’ Besides meeting her father for dinner and chess later on, she had the whole day to meet with Elsa.

_Sneaking past Kristoff will be a little harder, though. But Papa has a meeting in town today, so they should be stuck together for a few hours._

She smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in her dress. It was unnaturally hot this fall. But that was all the better for the farms, she supposed. The harvest festival was going to be a big one this year, no doubt.

"Princess Anna!"

Anna turned. She had almost forgotten that the Southern Isle's prince was visiting.

Hans strode down the hallway, quickly closing the gap between them. His face happily beamed, and he was smiling so wide that Anna thought his face would rip in half. Her eyes widened when he suddenly grabbed her in a tight hug. She squeaked from the sudden contact, her face pressed against his chest while he held her in an iron grip.

He quickly pulled away. "M-My apologizes, Your Highness," he stuttered, pulling the lapels of his suit. "Please forgive my actions. I didn't mean to overstep—"

Anna held up her hand. "Hans, it's fine. Really." She lightly laughed. He was as awkward as she was when he was nervous. "And you can drop all the formal stuff. I'm just Anna."

Hans shyly smiled. "Thank you, Your Hi—Anna. I'm glad to see that you're alright. Your father wrote to me that you were kidnapped, and I assumed the worst."

Anna scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah. It wasn't exactly a joyride, but I'm okay."

"Those men should hang for their crimes," he sternly said. "Kidnapping a princess…How did you get away?"

Anna swallowed. "I…I ugh…" She glanced away. "I'd rather not talk about it." She faked a pained expression.

It worked. Hans hastened to undo his statement. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It's still too soon to think about it, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" She looked up at him. He obviously looked like he wanted to press the matter further, and she blushed from his concern. She had only met him once before, and he already cared for her like a long-lost sister.

She quickly changed the subject. "But what about you? What happened with the noble trouble that you went back to your kingdom for?"

Hans folded his hands behind his back. "Well…It was resolved, but I wasn't the one to do so." A light pink spread across his cheeks. "I turned my ship around to help your father search for you as soon as I received his letter."

"Oh. That was very thoughtful of you."

Hans shrugged. "Maybe so, but it did nothing to help bring you home."

Anna placed a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate it all the same. Thank you."

Hans smiled, his green eyes flickering over her face. "Would you like to join me for lunch, Anna?"

Anna let her hand fall back to her side. She scrambled for an excuse. "That's very kind of you, but maybe another time."

"Do you have a busy schedule today? Maybe I can help you."

"No. No, I actually have…nothing. Today. But—"

"Then it's settled!" Hans cheered, clasping his gloved hands together. "I'll meet you in the dining hall at noon."

Hans strode past her. She reached out to him, but he was already half-way down the hall. "Wait. Hans—"

He was completely out of earshot when he turned a corner.

Anna sighed.  _Great. And today was going so well too. But he's not that bad of a guy, I guess._

She groaned as she walked away. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a sac and a box of chocolate powder before returning upstairs. She had one other stop to make.

 

* * *

 

Anna knocked twice before she opened her father's study. The king sat behind his desk with his head servant, Kai, standing nearby.

He looked up from his work and took off his spectacles. "You're up rather early. Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" he asked with a smile.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Okay. First, rude. Second, I do  _not_ sleep in that much. And third, I need to borrow something."

Agdar curiously smirked as she strode to the bookcase behind his desk. She held her finger against the bindings as she scrolled through the tomes. "And pray tell what are you borrowing? Not a book, surely. Then I know you aren't my Anna."

"Haha, very funny," she grumbled, pulling out a thick, grey book.

The king raised an eyebrow. "Since when have you been interested in the theories of calculus?"

"Since my lesson masters forced me to learn them. I just need to borrow it for a little bit." She opened the book, skimming through the first few pages.

Agdar leaned back in his chair. "So…I hear you're meeting Prince Hans for lunch."

Anna kept her eyes on the book. "Mhm."

The disinterested response made him look to Kai in question. The servant nodded his head, encouraging him to continue. "He seems like a nice young man. What do you think of him?"

"He's nice." She flipped a page.

Agdar swallowed. "…I'm having a meeting later this evening with Lord Vidar. His sons will be there as well."

"Hm."

"They're well known for their horse husbandry. His sons are great riders, you know. Like you. Maybe you could go for a ride with them while I discuss business with their father?"

Anna closed the book and put it in the sac, striding towards the door. "No thanks. I have a lot of other stuff I have to do. Tell them I send my regards."

"Anna, wait—"

The door slammed shut.

Agdar sighed. He slumped over his desk, rubbing his temples.

"Didn't tell her yet, sir?" Kai asked.

"No. I…I couldn't. I _can’t_."

"Sir, you know the council is anxious about her finding a suitor."

Agdar leaned back. "I know, Kai. I know. But she's just…Look at her. She's too young."

"You were her age when you were wed."

"But she's different, Kai, you know that. She's such a free spirit. I love her, but once she gets married, the pain of being royal will finally start. I want to keep her from that as long as possible."

Kai's eyes softened. "That is admirable, sir, but one day you won't be here, and she'll be ruling. She's going to have to take over that responsibility, and it would be best to do so while you can still mentor her."

The king sighed heavily. "I know…"

 

* * *

 

"Elsa, I'm  _starving_ ," Anna groaned, flopping against the grass.

Elsa popped her head out of the river, shaking water from her braid. "Well, excuse me, Your Majesty. One of us has to catch our lunch since  _somebody_  forgot to bring the sandwiches."

"I told you I couldn't take them while Cookie was in the kitchen. She would've skinned me alive." She covered her eyes with her arm. "And it's Your Highness, by the way."

Elsa snorted. "Whatever."

Anna smiled when she heard Elsa dive back into the water. She had set off for Elsa's cove the second she was free of her father. She felt a little guilty for ditching Hans, but she'd make it up later. Elsa was much better company, and the blonde seemed bored out of her mind without her, either.

 _Well, she wasn't entirely bored_ , Anna thought as she glanced at the small pile of books that had accumulated over the past few weeks. Elsa couldn't work on her letters without her there to help, but math opened up to her like she was a born calculator.

She was only a little jealous that Elsa was so great at math. Most of the time her cheeks were hurting from smiling too much whenever she got excited about pronouncing a new word correctly or solving some complex problem.

"This would go a lot faster if you just used an ice spear like I said. Even I can see that the fish stay away from the big pale shadow sticking to the river-bottom."

Elsa popped her head up again. Anna found it both amusing and intriguing that the blonde could hear her when she was underwater. "Well, princess, since you have the fire done, why don't you hop in and help? I'm sure you could talk them to death."

"Haha, very funny. You know I can't swim."

Elsa stopped from diving down again. "What?" She swam to the river's edge. "You really can't swim?"

Anna looked up at her. "Well, yeah. I almost drowned, remember?"

"I just thought you were being…you know…"

"Finish that sentence, Elsa. I dare you."

Elsa held her hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I get it. You can't swim." She rested her arms on the bank. "Come here. I'll teach you."

Anna laughed, her mirth dying to awkward giggles when she noticed Elsa's serious face. "You're serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. What if next time you fall in the water, no one's around?"

Anna dismissively waved her hand, laying down and putting her arm back over her eyes. "That was one time. It's not going to happen again. Stop worrying."

"Anna, come on. It's easy."

"I said _no_. Besides, it's cold. Do you _want_ me to catch hypothermia?"

"The water's warm."

"As soon as I step out, I'll be a human popsicle."

Anna rolled onto her side, promptly ending the discussion. She smirked in triumph when she heard Elsa growl.

Her brow furrowed in confusion when she heard the water slosh. She rolled on her back and sat up.

Her eyes widened when she saw Elsa striding towards her, her posture low and balanced like a predator stalking its prey. She was wearing only her undershorts and chest-wrapping, and her scars stood out on her ivory skin. The blonde's lip curled into a smirk when Anna noticed her, the glimpse of her sharp canines making Anna’s stomach twist into an icy fist.

"Nonono! Don't you  _dare_!" the princess squealed, scooting away. When Elsa only quickened her advance, she scrambled to her feet and bolted. She barely made two steps before a hand grabbed the back of her dress collar and pulled her back.

She yelped as Elsa scooped her into her arms, heading back to the river. She struggled, but she knew she would get nowhere unless Elsa changed her mind. And that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon, to her distress.

Anna pushed against her chest as hard as she could, but Elsa didn't loosen her grip. "Elsa! Put me down! I don't want to!"

She screamed when Elsa jumped in. It was warm as she said, but that did nothing for Anna's nerves.

Anna broke the surface, flailing her arms and gasping. Her bangs stuck down her face, partially blinding her. "Help! Elsa!"

The blonde was already behind her. She gently held Anna's waist to support her, but Anna continued thrashing anyways. She led her back to the edge of the river and almost got kicked in the face when Anna scrambled onto land.

Anna hugged her arms. Her clothes were suctioned to her body, and she was dripping torrents of water. She immediately shivered when she met the cold air.

She heard Elsa laugh. It was a delightful sound, one of her favorite sounds actually, but she still glared down at the blonde for it. "I _hate_ you."

Elsa giggled. "You're doing this whether you like it or not. It's a valuable life skill. I'm surprised you haven’t learned since you live in a fjord. I'm sure you've discovered many ways to fall into the ocean."

Anna stuck her tongue out. "Teaching kids to swim is a mother's job, and my nannies could barely stand to potty-train me."

Elsa blinked at the statement before she hardened her gaze. "Take off your clothes and get in here. I said I'll teach you."

"And I said no, but it seems like neither of us are going to get what we want."

Elsa crossed her arms, her brow furrowing low over narrowed arctic eyes. "Take your clothes off, or I'll take them off _for_ you,” she slowly said.

Anna hesitated. She recognized that gleam in Elsa's eye.  _This is exactly what happened with that damn cloak._  But she didn't exactly have underwear like Elsa had. She had  _underwear_. She might as well be naked with what undergarments she had—

Elsa pushed up on the riverbank to get out of the water.

Anna jumped back. "Nonono! I get it! I'll do it! You just… _stay there_." She glared at Elsa, but the blonde just smirked triumphantly.

Anna sulked behind a tree.  _Of course she had to be the only cat that likes swimming_ , she sorely thought as she stripped down to her underslips. They were made of thin white material, pants and a long sleeve shirt, that went under her winter dress. She blushed when she noticed her underwear showing through the wet, white cloth.

She stepped out, hugging her arms around her chest to conserve at least a shred of her dignity.

Elsa waved her over. She scowled disapprovingly at her underslips. "I thought I told you to—"

"This is as far as I'm going to strip. Take this off, and you won't have any chocolate for a  _week_ ," she hissed.

Elsa backed off. "Okay, okay. Calm down, princess." She smirked as she helped Anna into the water. "You'll thank me later for this."

"I wouldn't count on it…," Anna mumbled as her shoulders dipped below the water. She held onto the riverside so hard that she was shaking.

Elsa placed a hand on her back. Anna felt her face burn from the gentle contact. "It's okay, Anna," she softly said, rubbing small circles into her back until she stopped shaking. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Anna looked over her shoulder at the blonde. Her jewel blue eyes softened to a sky blue, and a small, reassuring smile tugged at the corner of her lip. Anna knew she was staring, but she was locked into her calm gaze like a fox in a trap. She swallowed dryly and managed to nod her head.

Elsa moved back to the middle of the river. "Now I know this might seem scary at first, but I'll be right here the entire time. The trick is to pretend that your feet and hands are like fins. When you push them, you should feel the water fan around you."

"O-Okay..."

"I want you to try to swim over to me." The distance was only a yard and a half  _maybe_ , but it seemed like a league. "Just concentrate on your movement. I'll be right here."

Anna felt the color drain from her face. She was never afraid of water, but nearly drowning does things to a person. She tentatively let go of the wall and gave a weak paddle. She felt herself beginning to drop, so she scrambled back to the edge. "I-I can't do it."

Elsa gave her a reassuring smile. "Yes, you can. I know you can. Just keep your eyes on me."

Anna hesitated, nodding her head. She looked up at the blonde. It was just a few feet. She could make it, right? And besides, Elsa would be there to catch her if she fell.

"Okay. I-I'm coming." She glanced down one last time before looking back at Elsa.

She took a deep breath.  _Here goes nothing._

She kicked off the wall, furiously paddling her arms and kicking her legs. Her heart jumped to her throat when she felt water lap up her chin, but she kept going forward, focusing on Elsa.

"That's it, just a little further!" Elsa opened her arms when Anna drew near. The redhead latched onto her the second she was within reach. Elsa choked when she caught her neck in an iron grip, burying her face in her shoulder. Her face and neck burned red when she felt Anna wrap her thighs around her waist, locking her ankles behind her back.

She patted Anna's back, wrapping her arms around her. Her scent was just as sweet even when it was mixed with fear. "You did great, Anna. I'm proud of you."

"I hate you."

Elsa laughed, swimming back to the riverside. "Yeah, yeah, I hate you, too."

Using her magic to push ice up beneath her feet, Elsa stepped out of the water and onto the grass, Anna still clinging to her. Elsa felt slightly guilty when she felt Anna shiver in the fall air.

_We can save future lessons for spring._

Elsa brought her near the fire and tried to place Anna down, but as soon as the redhead touched the ground, she pulled her down too with the grip she still had on her neck. She landed hard but ignored that fact. It was simple pay-back, she supposed.

Anna clung to her like a leech. "Anna—"

"Don't even t-think about getting up," the redhead stated. "You made me c-cold, so now you have to m-make me warm."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Yes,  _Your Highness_. I was just going to get some blankets."

Anna hesitated for only a second before she let the blonde free. "Hurry up," she mumbled.

Elsa quickly grabbed the blankets, also grabbing a pot, two mugs, chocolate powder, and some clean water. She hastily set up the water to heat up before laying down at Anna's side, throwing one blanket over the redhead and another over the two of them.

Anna immediately latched back on. "You t-took too long."

"You're too needy."

Anna snorted. "Pillows don't t-talk."

Elsa wrapped her arms around the redhead. "Oh, so I'm a pillow now? Nice to know you think so highly of me."

"You're a really nice p-pillow." She snuggled her face under Elsa's chin. "And you're  _my_ pillow."

Elsa lightly laughed, closing her eyes. "Yeah. I'm your pillow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Another chapter for ya awesome people. **
> 
> ** Hope ya enjoyed. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	13. Promises Kept and Promises Made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** In honor of the Super Bowl, I post this chapter early. (Even though I don't watch football. I just partyhop and steal the vodka) **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Anna's tongue laid heavy in her mouth. Like a lead weight. She swallowed to try to moisten it, but her nervousness dried it up again.

She shuffled her feet, willing away the fluttering in her chest. She had delayed this long enough. Elsa had been patient these past few weeks, but now it needed to be done.

She needed to fulfill her end of the deal.

She would have done it sooner if she could. She had been racking her brain to figure out what she was going to say. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she lied when she made the deal in the first place. Thankfully, a few weeks of brainstorming helped her come up with the perfect plan.

She had thought about trying to convince her father of Elsa’s innocence, but it was too risky. If he didn’t accept what she had to say, he would connect the dots and conclude that she was in some sort of contact with Elsa and demand she tell him where she is. She wouldn’t, of course, but a heightened search around the capital could easily find the blonde because she was so close and wouldn’t know of the new danger.

So, plan B. 

It helped that her father hadn't demanded to know about the latter happenings of her kidnapping when she first returned. He had the important details to begin a manhunt for her kidnappers, and he said he would wait for her to tell him the more unpleasant stuff after time helped her heal from the trauma (which wasn't quite as bad as he assumed).

She knocked three times.

"Come in," came the muffled response.

Anna inched the door open and peeked in. Her father was sitting at his desk, multiple stacks of papers littered over the area. "Hey, Papa. Do you have a minute to talk?"

Agdar looked up from his work. He placed his quill back in the inkwell with careful slowness. Anna bit the inside of her cheek. He had already picked up on her nervousness. "Of course. Take a seat. Is something wrong?"

Anna shuffled into the room and sat in one of the two leather chairs in front of his desk. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Nothing's wrong. Well, not bad wrong. It's just…I'm ready to talk. About what happened."

Her father's gaze softened considerably. He stood up and walked around his desk to sit in the leather chair beside her, moving it around to face her. He took one of her fiddling hands in her lap and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Anna, don't feel pressured to tell me anything you're not comfortable with sharing. I love you dearly, so if you're not ready—"

Anna shook her head. "No. It's time I talked to you about it. It's been bothering me for a while, but I'm finally ready."

Adgar's mustache curved into a smile. He was proud of her for being so strong about all this. "If you're absolutely sure, then go ahead."

Anna released a shaky breath. She sent a silent prayer to the gods that the hours she spent practicing this in front of her mirror would finally pay off.

"I already told you about the first bit. About when I was taken from the castle. They took me at night. Right before I fell asleep. I tried to fight them off, but they gave me some sort of drug to knock me out. When I woke up…I, ugh…I-I was tied to a horse." She hoped her father hadn't caught her stutter. The details of her humiliating trek with her captors she preferred to keep to herself.

Or rather, between her and Elsa.

Agdar gave her hand a soft squeeze. "What do you remember about them?"

Anna shrugged. "They were mercenaries. I couldn't recognize anything connecting them to any particular kingdom. There were four of them. Ulfric, Morgan…I can't remember the others. They were taking me up the Northern Mountains."

"The Northern Mountains? Did they say why they were taking you there?"

"No. But we didn't get all the way through them. One of the men was drunk one night, so he didn't tie me up properly. I waited for them to fall asleep before I escaped."

Agdar smiled. "That was very smart of you, Anna."

Anna sheepishly smiled in return.  _It's an absolute lie, but thanks anyways._  "I-It was nothing. Just luck and a stroke on dumbness on their part."

"What did you do after that? The Northern Mountains are days away from Arendelle."

"I met a friend," she said. "His name was Markus. He was a merchant coming through the mountains from Corona, and he found me on the side of the road. He gave me clothes and food and took care of me. We ran into a little trouble with some wild animals along the way, but we got through it."

Agdar sat up. "Well, I'll have to thank this man. Markus you said his name was? Where was he from?"

"He didn't say. I never asked him. He just found me and brought me close enough to Arendelle to finish the walk on my own…I never told him I was a princess. I didn't think it would be safe. Even if he was being kind to me."

Her father sagely nodded. "Yes. Yes, I suppose you would be right. The gods know we can't trust anyone nowadays. Nice as he was, he may have taken you for his own gain."

Anna nodded and swallowed, preparing herself for her final lie. Her father seemed to sense there was more as well, and he patiently waited.

"I…I-I found something before I met Markus."

Agdar quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, it was more like a someone. I feel bad for calling her a something, but to be able to do  _that_ …She just wasn't human."

Her father stiffened, and his brow furrowed in a straight line. "Who—What was it?"

"It was a woman. Except, it wasn't a woman. I-It was a monster. I had fallen down a ravine and heard someone moaning, so I went to see what was going on. There was blood everywhere. Blood and fur and gore and…and  _ice_."

"Ice?"

"It was everywhere. Spikes of it coming out of the trees and the ground…and that bear." She faked a sniffle. "Or what was left of a bear. And there was that woman. She was bleeding badly. I thought she was dead, but when I screamed, she rolled over and shot  _ice_  out of her  _hands_  at me. She missed, and I could tell from her bloody breathing and that she was dying. I was so scared. I couldn’t move. I stood there and watched her die.  _I watched her die._ "

A hard sob pretended to rack Anna's body. She may be lying, but just thinking about that happening to Elsa made her chest tighten. Telling her father that Elsa was dead was the only way she could think of convincing him to stop hunting her.

Agdar grasped her shoulders and shook her with gentle urgency. "Anna. Anna, look at me." She rubbed her wet eyes and looked up at him. "Are you sure she was dead? Are you  _absolutely sure_?"

Anna nodded. "I feinted when she stopped moving. I couldn't take it. I didn't wake up until the next day, and when I did, she was staring at me with those…those dead eyes…."

Anna watched with mild curiosity as her father's shoulders slumped, a calmness overtaking his features that she hadn't seen before. He pulled her into a strong hug.

"I'm so glad that you're okay," he softly said into her shoulder. "That monster is finally dead."

Anna hesitantly nodded into his shoulder, keeping up her act. She was beyond happy that her plan worked, and she couldn't wait to tell Elsa later, but a pit knotted in her stomach. It coiled and whipped like a snake.

_What the hell did Elsa do?_

 

* * *

 

It wasn't until late afternoon that Anna was finally able to leave the castle. She would only have an hour or two to talk to Elsa, but that was more than enough time to tell her the good news.

She turned a corner, walking through the front gates. The guards stationed there saluted her as she passed.

She waved at them. "I'll be back later!"

_Oof!_

Anna windmilled her arms, barely stopping herself from landing on her rear in view of the palace guard. "Hey, watch where you're—"

A slobbery lick to her face forced her to close her mouth before drool fell into it. She pushed away her offender. "Ew! Sven, stop!"

The reindeer pulled back, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Anna petted his head. "It's good to see you too, boy. I’ve missed you."

"He’s missed you, too," Kristoff said as he walked out from behind his massive pet. He leaned against Sven's neck. He was wearing his armor, but instead of a helmet, he wore his old winter cap. "We both have, actually. And still do since you keep sneaking out of the castle."

Anna snorted. "Sneaking? Who's sneaking? I'm not sneaking."

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "Mmhmm. Then where are you off to now?"

"None of your business."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Anna. I thought we were best friends. Why don't you trust me anymore?"

"I do trust you! It's just…I'm going for a stroll around the courtyard," she said with her best poker face.

Kristoff smirked. "Well, then I'm sure you won't mind if Sven and I join you. It's a beautiful afternoon, and we would enjoy your company."

"No, it's fine. I'd prefer to be by myself."

"That's no problem. We can stick behind you. You'll never know we're there."

Anna opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it instead. She put her hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. If you two want to come along, that's fine with m—You have something on your hat."

Kristoff reached up to his head. "My hat?"

Anna moved closer. "Yeah it's right...HERE!" She grabbed the sides of his hat and pulled it down over his face, blinding him. The knight immediately reached up to pull it off, but Anna swept his feet from under him before he could.

The blonde lost his breath when he landed on his back. He hastened to sit up and tear off his hat. He swiveled his head around, but the redheaded princess was gone.

"Dammit!" he hissed, standing up. Sven sniffed him concernedly, and Kristoff rubbed his snout. "Yeah, I'm fine, bud. But now we've got a princess to catch."

 

* * *

 

Anna ducked under the curtain of ivy that camouflaged the entrance to Elsa's cove. She breathed deeply and smiled. She could finally tell Elsa the news she had been waiting for weeks to hear.

However, the lack of a certain blonde bounding to meet her was a bit concerning.

"Elsa!" she called, hearing her voice echo around the cove. "Elsa! Are you here?!"

No response.

 _I suppose she could be hunting_ , Anna thought, forcing away the small but growing fear that Elsa had left or had been caught. Both were unlikely, but the fear still remained.

She walked to the cave that was Elsa's home. It was a quaint little place. It barely had enough room for the both of them, but it was doable. A massive oak tree stood by its entrance to provide some cover.

A grip on her arm made her turn around.

"Elsa, I was wondering where you'd go—" Anna's breath caught in her throat.

That wasn't Elsa.

"K-Kristoff. What are you doing here?"

The tall blonde man's brows lowered over narrowed eyes. "What am _I_ doing here? What are  _you_  doing here?" he all but yelled. He tightened his grip on her upper arm. "Do you not realize how far you are from the castle? What if something happened to you? What if you were kidnapped again? If your father finds out about this, he's going to kill you!"

Anna sputtered, too shocked to think of a coherent retort. "I…I ugh—"

He leaned in close to her, anger radiating off him in waves. "We're going back to the castle.  _Now._ "

Anna scrambled to catch herself when Kristoff began hauling her away. She tried digging her heels into the grass to stop herself, but it didn't work. "Kristoff, wait, please. I can explain."

Kristoff yanked her forward, unintentionally hurting her. Anna yelped from the sudden jarring. "You can explain to your father all you wa—"

Anna heard Kristoff gasp as he was tackled, his hand tearing from her arm. She watched him tumble for a few yards before his attacker sprung up and stood in front of her, growling and snarling like a mother bear.

"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed. Her head whipped towards the blonde man drawing his sword.  _Nononono._  "Wait, stop don't—!"

Neither were listening to her. Kristoff was stunned by the snarling blonde in front of him, but his training quickly took over as he assessed the new threat. He held his sword in an offensive stance. "Get away from her!" he yelled, charging.

Elsa jumped to the side to lead him away from Anna. Kristoff slashed his sword with the strength of an ex-iceharvester, sometimes getting too close to Elsa's skin for comfort. Elsa jumped back and erected an ice wall that caught the tip of Kristoff's sword on his next swing. The knight gasped like a fish out of water. "What the _fucking_ _hell—_!"

The breath was knocked out of him when a shoulder drove into his side, but the force of the blow and his steady grip on his sword helped pull the weapon free. He pivoted and slashed at his attacker, but she jumped away and fired a volley of ice shards at him. He jumped and dove, managing to block a handful of shards with his sword.

Elsa growled thunderously. She flicked her wrist downward, and a trail of ice raced on the ground and over Kristoff's foot, freezing him to the ground. The blonde man furiously tugged his leg.

He looked up just in time to see Elsa pounce at him. Her forearm was encased in a blade of nearly translucent blue ice. Panicking, Kristoff slammed his sword pommel against the ice on his foot, shattering it, before he jumped out of the way. He watched in a mild degree of terror as the ice previously heading for his chest sunk into the ground with the ease of a knife through warmed butter before breaking off of Elsa's arm.

Elsa quickly stood up to get on the defensive, but she wasn't quick enough. She barely dodged being cleaved in half, and she yelped when the blade shallowly sliced across her thigh.

Kristoff's triumphant grin from landing a blow quickly vanished. The color drained from his face when the woman before him shape-shifted into a thickly furred tiger whose size easily rivaled his reindeer companion.

The silvery black beast roared deafeningly loud before she sprinted at him. A swipe of her gigantic paw knocked his sword from his hands, and his metal gauntlets were the only thing that saved him from having two broken arms from the blow. She continued her lunge until her full weight barreled into him.

They rolled twice before Elsa pinned his arms down. Kristoff gritted his teeth, his bones creaking under her weight. He opened his eyes and quickly wished he hadn't. An open maw equipped with massive canines roared hot breath over his face. He leaned away from his impending death, praying that Anna would be able to escape while the beast tore out his throat.

Anna raced to them. "Elsa, stop!" she cried. She grabbed fistfuls of her neck fur and tugged, trying to pull her away. "Elsa, please! He's a friend!"

It was a very long minute before Elsa swung her head to look at her. Anna thought she saw red swim from Elsa's eyes as she turned, but she brushed it off as her imagination.

"He's a friend, Elsa.  _My_  friend. He didn't mean to hurt me. He was just trying to take me home." Elsa panted, her icy blue eyes searching Anna's for the truth. Anna smiled reassuringly, and Elsa swiveled her head to the man beneath her paws. He shook beneath her in terror, not at all believing what was happening in front of him.

Elsa roared in his face one last time before shoving off of him. As soon as her weight left him, Kristoff scrambled backwards, his back immediately hitting a tree that he then used as a support to sit up. His legs were too shaky to even think about standing up at the moment.

Elsa curled around Anna, her posture low and ready to pounce if Kristoff showed any sign of aggression. Her ears pressed against her head and her mouth hung open in a threatening snarl, her fur bristling. Her head pressed against the redhead's side while her tail flicked back and forth over the ground at her feet.

"W-What the hell is _that_?!" Kristoff squeaked, shakily pointing at the tiger standing protectively at Anna’s side. Elsa snarled, and he quickly put his hand down.

Anna placed one of her hands on Elsa's head. "Elsa, stop it. You're scaring him.” The silver tiger closed her mouth, but her growl continued to thunder out of her throat like a landslide. Anna rolled her eyes.

She looked at her cowering knight. "Um…Kristoff? This is Elsa." She motioned at the tiger. "Elsa? This is Kristoff." She gestured to the blonde knight. Elsa roared, making the blonde shrink further into the tree.

Anna smacked Elsa's head, momentarily shutting up her growl before artic blue glared up at her. "Would you stop that?"

Anna looked up in time to see Kristoff shoot up and make a break for it. She ran after him. "Kristoff, wait!" Elsa's silver pelt shot past her, quickly tackling the blonde and pressing a paw on his back to keep him pinned down. Kristoff vainly struggled to free himself.

Anna held her hands up. "Kristoff, calm down. I can explain everythi—"

"NO! There is no way in HELL I am listening to you! Do you not see this thing?! You are  _insane_!"

Anna rolled her eyes and sighed.  _Time for plan B._ "Elsa, just bring him to the cave. I can't talk to him while he's all hysterical."

The redhead turned, one hand massaging her temple to calm her growing headache. She heard Kristoff's cries and pleas behind her as Elsa somewhat gently bit his leg and dragged the struggling knight.

Anna groaned.  _This is going to be a looong night._

 

* * *

 

It took Kristoff an hour to calm down enough to talk to him without him falling into hysterics, and it took another hour to come clean and tell him the truth. The complete truth.

He kept his mouth shut while Anna told him about how she met Elsa, about everything that had happened from her kidnapping to her returning to the castle.

He sat at the back of the cave, wrists and ankles bound. He glared at his friend and her now blonde _human_ companion sitting on the opposite side of the fire.

Anna used a ladle to scoop some hot water from the cooking pot into the mug in her hand. She stirred it before offering it to him. "Hot cocoa?"

He glanced at it before taking it in his bound hands.

A chill danced down his spine when he felt the blonde woman’s icy glare boring into his head. He looked up to meet her gaze, but the second their eyes met, she  _growled_ , almost as loudly as her tiger counterpart.

Anna sighed. She had just spilled every one of her and Elsa's secrets to the blonde knight. Why? She doesn't quite know. There was nothing stopping him from running to her father and telling him the truth. And it wasn't like they could keep him tied up forever.

"So you mean to tell me that you're… _friends_ now?" Kristoff asked.

Anna shrugged. "Well, yeah."

"And you're okay with that."

She nodded.

Kristoff sighed. He put his mug on the floor and rubbed his face in his hands. "Of all the stupid—" he mumbled, quickly stopping himself. He took a deep breath. "Anna. This... _thing_  is not a toy. You can't keep her out here like some pet. She's too close to the city. What if she attacks someone?"

"Have you not been listening to anything I've said in the past hour?" Anna groaned. "Firstly, Elsa is not a  _thing_. She is a person. If I ever hear you call her that again, I will not hesitate to punch you." She shot him a glare before continuing. "Secondly, I am not keeping her here. This is her home. And thirdly, Elsa is not a loose cannon. She would never attack anyone without cause."

Kristoff snorted. "What do you call what she just did to me? She attacked me for no reason!"

"She thought you were hurting me. You would have done the same thing if someone you didn't know followed me and tried to forcibly drag me away. She's just…protective."

"More like possessive. She's all over you like she owns you or something."

Elsa snarled, baring her long canines at the blonde knight, quickly shutting him up.

Anna found Elsa's hand and entwined their fingers. The blonde's tenseness slightly melted, and she returned the gesture by shakily gripping her hand, her palm sweaty from carefully concealed fear.

Anna's heart ached. She should have checked harder to make sure she wasn't followed.

She looked at Kristoff. "Kris, I'm the only person Elsa's had friendly contact with in _years_. She's been hunted all her life. Her paranoia is reasonable."

"That's another thing! She's a criminal! A murderer!"

Anna's brow furrowed into a determined line. "Be that as it may, I've put Elsa's past behind her, just like she has and just as you should. She has proven to me countless times to be a kind, reliable, compassionate, caring person. I won't let her past define her, just as I won't let your past define you."

Kristoff looked away, shuffling his bound feet and scowling.

"And besides," she said, rubbing her thumb over the back of Elsa's hand. "I made a deal with her, I told you that. And I was finally able to complete that promise today."

Elsa's head shot up. "You did?"

Anna smiled. "Yep! I figured convincing my father you were dead would be the best way. If I tried talking to him reasonably, there would be no escape plan if he decided to still...ya know...kill you.”

Anna felt the air squeeze out of her lungs when Elsa wrapped her arms around her in a constricting hug. "Anna, that's wonderful!" she muffled into her shoulder.

Kristoff awkwardly looked away from the display of clearly human emotion Elsa was displaying. It was hard to ignore the attachment the two had. "I don't know, Anna…" he mumbled. "I have a feeling this is a bad idea."

Anna dismissively waved her hand. "No, it's not! What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could get found out and… _Elsa_  could get killed."

"That doesn't count because that can't happen anymore," she countered. "Papa's going to call off the manhunt as soon as Quade gets back. I don't know when that'll be, but it's pretty much over now."

Kristoff looked away, still unsure.

Anna bent forward, her eyes pleading. "Please, Kristoff. You can't tell my father about this. About  _her_." She gestured to Elsa.

Kristoff balked. "What?! No. Not gonna happen."

"But—"

"No, Anna. I swore an oath to protect this kingdom. To protect you and your father by any means necessary. And this…this is not safe."

Anna's eyes hardened. "Elsa's not dangerous. She would never hurt me."

"I'm having a hard time believing that."

The two of them exchanged a heated glare. This conversation was getting them nowhere, and the sun was already set, so her father would be pulling out his hair in anxiety for her to get back.

"I…I'm sorry for attacking you."

Anna turned to Elsa. The blonde shuffled in her seat and looked down at their hands, nervously fiddling. "I thought you were going to hurt her. I've only ever met men that want to hurt…So I'm sorry." She looked up, arctic eyes meeting honey gold. "I would never hurt Anna. I'd rather die than see that happen."

Kristoff looked at her a second longer before lowering his eyes to the rope around his wrists. He sighed. "Anna, I—"

Anna held her hand up. "Nope. If you want to turn us in, tell it to the person you'll be killing in doing so."

Kristoff flinched, his eyes darting between a stubborn redhead and guarded blonde. Elsa was still looking down at her and Anna's hands, her shoulders slumped almost defeatedly.

Kristoff groaned, rolling his head back against the stone. "I know I'm going to regret this..." he mumbled. Anna leaned forward to catch what he was mumbling while Elsa cocked her head. He put his face in his hands. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but fine. I won't tell your father about your…friend."

Kristoff felt better about his decision when Anna's eerily serious face split into a heart-warming smile that could melt the fjord. She turned to Elsa and pulled her into a tight hug, surprising the blonde woman before she reciprocated with a hot blush. "Yes yes yes! Thank you, Kris!"

Kristoff found himself smiling as well, but he shook himself into seriousness. "BUT!" Anna quickly quieted down, Elsa still in her grasp. "If she ever proves herself a threat, I  _will_  tell the king. I still have an oath to uphold."

Anna rolled her eyes. "That's never going to happen, but if it makes you feel better, then fine." She buried her face back into her hug. Kristoff curiously arched an eyebrow when he heard Elsa purr, but the blonde seemed too focused on the princess in her arms to care about him at the moment.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. Yay, everything's happy and wonderful." He held out his bound hands. "Can you let me go now?"

"Oh! Right. Elsa?"

The blonde woman was already up and making her way towards the knight, ice dagger summoned in her hand. His heart skipped a beat as she cut the ropes, but it was over quickly. He rubbed his chaffed wrists as Elsa returned to Anna's side.

Kristoff stood up. "I hate to cut this meeting short, but I have to get you back to the castle. I don't know what you're going to tell your father. He expected you back an hour ago."

Anna jumped to her feet. "Oh, shit! I missed dinner!" She grabbed Kristoff's wrist, pulling him out of the cave as she took off in a sprint. She and Elsa shouted their goodbyes before Anna shot them out of the cove.

Kristoff struggled to pull her to a stop. "Anna, wait! I brought Sven!"

She glared at him. "Well, why didn't you say something?!" The reindeer was bounding up to them, and Anna jumped onto his back once he was close enough. "Hurry up, Kristoff!"

The blonde knight rolled his eyes before jumping up behind her, spurring Sven towards the castle.

Kristoff bit the inside of his cheek. Yes, there were going to be no more secrets between him and Anna (unless she had a dragon hidden nearby), but something still bothered him.

_I have a bad feeling about this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Hope ya liked it:D **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	14. Don't Scare Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

"So…I hear you like to breed horses?" Anna asked, her voice quipping to a high octave. She didn't care if she embarrassed herself so long as she got rid of the awkward atmosphere suffocating her like a toxic gas. She shifted in her saddle, pulling her gloves tighter over her hands when a cold wind blew through the trees.

The past week had been hectic to say the least, but today's forced expedition took the cake. It was fairly easy (surprisingly actually) to acclimate Elsa and Kristoff together. It was from forcing them to spend time together, of course, but they had graduated from silence to one-word conversations.

Progress was progress, and the princess would take whatever she could.

The blonde knight proved quite useful in relieving her father’s anxiety. As long as he was with her when she visited Elsa, they could lie together. It was the perfect alibi.

She had fun hanging out with the two of them, though she treasured the time she spent alone with Elsa moreso. She obviously didn't trust the knight enough to relax around him. Maybe she never would, but one could never tell what the future will bring.

Like Fredrik.

The ebony-haired nobleman's son lazily reclined on some purebred stallion that he brought from his estate. Her father was right about this son of Vidar. He did know his way around a horse.

She would have appreciated it if her father had also mentioned the man's tendency to promp around with his nose in the air and a stick up his ass.

Fredrik snorted, recoiling from her question. "What on earth gave you that foolish idea?"

Anna scowled at the side of his head. The heat of her glare wasn't enough to make him look at her. He hadn't spared her a glance their entire ride.  _Oh, Papa's so gonna get it when I get back_ , she thought.  _'Oh, Anna. You'll have such a good time. He's a delightful young man. A stroll through the hills would be beautiful in this weather. You two could have a picnic while Lord Vidar and I discuss business'—thanks father. Thanks a bunch._

Anna gritted her teeth, forcing on her political mask. "Oh, you know. Just the fact that your family has been renowned for its practice for six generations. I just made an assumption."

Fredrik rolled his eyes. They were dark, nearly as black as his hair. He wore a green suit and white pants, a light blue sash across his puffed-out chest signaling his nobility. " _Please_ ," he exasperated. "I own people who do that peasant work."

 _"Excuse me?"_ Anna almost exclaimed, her anger beginning to simmer.

Fredrik clicked his tongue and looked at her with another scoff. "I don't actually  _own_  them. They're my servants. I thought Arendelle's Princess would have known that slavery has been banned for a near decade now."

Anna resisted curling her lip in a snarl, instead baring her teeth in a pained smile. "You're right. My apologies, my lord."

Fredrik huffed and looked away.

Anna felt like crying. Crying and punching something. She still had at least another hour to spend with this jerk, and they weren't even to the top of the hill yet. Their guard escort was too far behind them—to give them some _alone_ time they insisted—for her to distract herself with their conversation.

 _I'd take swimming lessons with Elsa over this any day,_  she thought with a groan.  _Actually, I'd take anything with Elsa over anything any day._

Thankfully, they came to a stop a few minutes later. It was a cliché little setting: a bare hill with a lone oak tree on its crest to give them shade and a place to tie their horses. Their escort stayed at the bottom of the hill, Kristoff and some mustached skinny-man in armor too large for him. Anna sent her blonde knight a pleading look, but he could do nothing but smile apologetically and remain at his post.

Anna's face lit to a sharp red when she was forced to set up their little picnic by herself. If he was at all trying to court her, Fredrik was doing a shitty job of it. Even the lowest of gentlemen would have shown some sliver of chivalry to win a princess' heart.

Their lunch was a small one. Just some cheese and bread and a bottle of wine that she didn't know had been slipped into the basket. She rolled her eyes. If her father was trying to give her a hint, he was going about it the wrong way. She gave Fredrik a sideways glance. The man was leaning back on his hands, absentmindedly looking around. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, not bothering to hide the boredom in it.

Anna popped the wine open and poured herself a full glass. She downed it in a few quick gulps.

"Ahem." Anna begrudgingly looked at Fredrik. He held an empty glass to her.

Anna's hands clenched into fists. "Yes, my lord?" she bit out.

Fredrik arched an eyebrow. When Anna still did nothing, he rolled his eyes. "The wine, girl. Don't you know it's rude not to pour your guest a glass?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. She picked up the wine bottle and poured herself another glass, not as full this time, and put the bottle back in the basket. She had half a mind to give him a tongue-lashing for calling her  _girl_ , but she knew the importance his family held to her father, so she stayed silent. "Pour your own damn wine."

Fredrik scoffed, repulsed. Anna reclined on her elbows, wine in one hand and her legs splaying open in a comfortable and very un-ladylike manner. Fredrik snorted at the display and snatched the wine bottle with a grumble.

Seconds spanned into long minutes as they sat there in tense silence. Anna tilted the wine around in her glass, looking at it thoughtfully. This hill was the one her mother brought her to when she was young. Being out here usually made her happy, but knowing her father purposefully sent them out here made the memory bitter.

"So…," she began. She might as well try at conversation with the nobleman's son. It wasn't like they were leaving anytime soon. "Do you know what our fathers are talking about? I asked, but was simply told it was 'business.' It's a little vague if you ask me. Knowing their relationship, I wouldn't be surprised if they were playing chess and drinking away the castle's wine stores."

"My father never was good at chess. I'm not ashamed of him, though. I don't see the purpose in it. It's such a slow game. Useless, really. Personally, I prefer polo." He took a swig of his wine. She hadn't noticed him refill the glass, but the slight slur in his voice was rather amusing. He was quite a light weight. "But to answer your question, I believe they're discussing the terms of our engagement."

Anna choked on her wine. She sat up, coughing and beating her chest as wine spittle flew over her dress. "Engagement?!" she squeaked, coughing again.

Fredrik drew back in disgust when she continued to hack. He scooted to the far side of the blanket. "Yes. My father told me that the king asked if I had interest. I said yes, of course," he offhandedly said, taking a large sip of his wine.

Anna shook her head. "Nonononono," she said, nervously laughing. Her hands shook and she fidgeted into a sitting up position. "T-That's not…My father wouldn't do that without asking me first," she said, assuring herself more than him. "I'm afraid you must be mistaken."

"I'm not mistaken, Your Highness. The deal has been made. In a year's time, you will be my wife." His lips twisted into a crooked smile that made her stomach flip with nausea.

Anna's eyes hardened. "No. I believe you are. I am not some bargaining chip for noble politics. If I say you are mistaken, then you are mistaken,  _my lord_. You should keep in mind who it is you are talking to," she spat, her hands clenching into fists.

Fredrik turned over to her. His face was sprinkled with red up to his ears. It was obvious the alcohol was getting to his air-filled brain. "Oh, I know exactly who I'm talking to,  _girl_. It is you who should hold your tongue when speaking to your future husband."

Anna's jaw fell open. If she wasn't so shocked at his blatant disrespect, she would have landed her fist between his eyes. She sat up taller, squaring her shoulders. "I am your princess," she said with dangerous slowness. "Even if we were to be wed, I could have you hanged for talking to me like that."

Fredrik scooted closer to her, his taller frame leering over her. "You forget you are a  _woman_ , princess. Even as your consort, I am still a man. And I'm the only one who has accepted your father's proposal, so you should be grateful to me."

Anna blinked in confusion. "Wait, what?"

He sneered. "Oh, yes. Your father was very adamant about not wedding you to a prince from a different kingdom. He wanted one of his trusted nobles to marry into the line. He only has a few friends among the aristocracy, and he's been practically begging them to wed their sons to you. They didn't need the position as consort, of course. Those  _honorable_  men already have enough money and power to please them. They would be living a life they already had, except now they would have to deal with you."

Fredrik grabbed Anna's chin in a slurred movement that she was too shocked to dodge. His nails bit into her cheek, and she could smell the wine on his breath. "But I've always found you rather pretty to look at. We would be queer bed fellows, but I'll be gentle if you're good—"

Fredrik's next words choked back down his throat when Anna's balled fist smashed into his face hard enough to land him on his back. She shook her hand and rubbed her sore knuckles from the hit, blind fury helping to guise the pain.

Fredrik sat up with a groan, his face aching terribly and his nose dripping a steady stream of blood. He touched the metallic wetness and gasped in horror. He turned to glare at her before he lunged, fist drawn back to deliver a vengeful blow. "You'll pay for that you little bit—!"

Anna watched a blunt block of ice bounce heavily off of Fredrik's head before the man collapsed, unconscious. She blinked in dumb surprise before she swiveled her head towards the source.

Elsa strode out of the treeline, fists clenched and murder in her eyes. She bared her teeth in a snarl, her face red with boiling hot anger.

Anna shot to her feet. "Elsa?!" she cried, quickly shutting up when she remembered that Kristoff and her other guard were nearby. She ran to the charging blonde. "Elsa, what are you doing here?!" she yelled in a hushed voice.

Elsa ignored her. Her narrowed eyes were trained on the black-haired man lying unconscious on the picnic blanket. Anna had to grab her shoulders to force her to stop, and even then her deadly gaze was locked onto the nobleman's son. She breathed heavily, her breaths seething out of flaring nostrils as an angry growl rumbled deep in her throat.

Anna shook the blonde's shoulders. She could feel her tense muscles straining to get past her. "Elsa!" she hissed, growing frustrated. She grabbed her face to force her to look at her. Her icy eyes softened when they found her teal ones. Her breathing slowed slightly and the red began to leave her face. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here."

The blonde stared at her for a long minute before blinking out of her stupor. She pointed at Fredrik. "He—"

"My lord, Your Highness…are you alright? We heard a shout," came the guard's voice from the other side of the hill. Their armor noisily clanked as they started towards them.

 _Shit._  "Elsa, run. Go." She gave her a shove when she didn't move. "Go!"

Anna breathed a small sigh of relief when Elsa disappeared between the trees. She turned to meet her escort as they came over the hill.

Kristoff found her standing a ways off from the picnic site. He glanced at the unconscious nobleman's son before jogging over to her. "Anna, what happened?" The other guard stopped beside Fredrik.

Anna hesitated. Her eyes flickered between the expectant faces of her guards before she answered. "Take Fredrik to the castle infirmary."

The mustached guard flipped Fredrik over. He winced at the wicked bruising already blackening his face and the blood dripping from his nose. "Your Highness, what happened?"

Anna straightened. "After his wound is tended to, he is to speak with my father for his actions. He disrespected me, dishonored me, grabbed me, and was going to assault me if I hadn't knocked him out," she said, the white lie smoothly gliding over her tongue.

The guard scowled at Fredrik with a new hate. "Yes, Your Highness." He slung him over his armored shoulder.

Anna cleared her throat, shooting Kristoff a meaningful glance. "Gentlemen, if you would excuse me, I need to step into the woods for a second."

Kristoff arched an eyebrow. "Anna, we need to get you back to the castle. Your father's going to want to hear about this."

"Yes, but I ugh…I need to go to the bathroom."

"The bathroom? Really? Can't you hold it till we get back?"

"No, I can't, Kristoff. It's kindof important that I go _now_ ," she said between clenched teeth.

Kristoff sighed. "Thomas, get Fredrik situated on a horse while I take  _Her Highess_  to the bathroom," he groaned. Anna immediately bolted.

He followed after her, surprised at her urgency.  _She must really gotta go._

Anna shimmied through the trees, both relieved and irritated when she found a certain blonde pacing in a clearing. She marched up to her, her anger re-firing in her belly. Elsa stopped her pacing when she was an arm's-length away. "Elsa, what the  _hell_ did you think you were doing?!" she hissed, barely keeping her voice level.

Elsa narrowed her eyes in a glare. "Why didn't your guards stay with you?! You would've been hurt if I wasn't here!"

"Don't try to turn this on me! Do you have any idea how close you were to being seen?" Anna stepped closer to her, standing on her tiptoes to try and glare Elsa in the eye even though she barely came to her nose. "And that's another thing—what are you doing out here? You said it was too risky to come out of your cove except for hunting."

"Well, it's a good thing I did follow you out here! That guy was—"

"You  _followed_  me?" Anna said, taken aback. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but my life does not revolve around your schedule! If I can't see you one day, then deal with it!"

Elsa furiously shook her head. "No! I was worried, okay! You weren't at the castle, so I thought something happened—"

"So you  _did_  follow me!"

"No! I—"

"Anna?"

Both women turned to Kristoff. " _What?!_ " they yelled. The blonde knight was peeking over a bush, glancing between the two. He groaned, his head falling into his hand.

"We have to go. Thomas is worrying about you, and so was I. Come on," he said, jutting his head back to the hill.

Anna shook her head, closing her eyes and rubbing her pounding temples. She muttered a curse before looking back up at Elsa. She poked her chest. "You. Me. Talk. Later." She pointed into the woods. "Now get out of here and lay low before you get caught."

Elsa looked down at the angry redhead for a second longer before she tore away with a growl, striding off into the forest.

Anna sighed heavily, watching Elsa's retreating form. Kristoff gently nudged her shoulder, and she let him lead her away.

 

* * *

 

"Please, sir, have mercy!"

Agdar glared down at the nobleman, his eyes burning with barely restrained anger. "Count yourself lucky that Fredrik is leaving my castle with his life," he growled. "I have passed my judgement. My guards will escort you back to your estate, Vidar." The king glanced to his left. "Kristoff, see to it that Fredrik is on the first boat out of Arendelle."

Agdar stood from his throne and strode out of the great hall. Servants opened the doors for his exit, shying away from the furious king. Vidar's pleas were promptly silenced by the doors slamming shut.

He calmed slightly during his walk through the castle, his anger gradually ebbing away to worry. He turned a corner and, without knocking, opened the white door to his daughter's room.

Anna stood up from her bed. "Papa." The king hastened to her side and tightly hugged her.

It was midnight now. When she had returned from her ride with an unconscious Fredrik and had explained the situation, her father immediately ordered her to her room. She argued of course, but the old snap of his jaw and bite of his words made her hold her tongue, and she reluctantly let herself be shut away until he resolved the matter.

Agdar withdrew from the hug, breathing deeply. He kept his hands on her shoulders, and Anna lightly grasped his wrists. "Papa what happened?" she asked with a degree of urgency. By the way her father looked earlier, she thought for sure that Fredrik would be hanged. As much as she hated the man, he didn't deserve that.

The king sighed heavily. "Fredrik was banished and stripped of his title. Vidar fought me tooth and nail to keep his son in Arendelle, but I refuse to have that monster living in my country after he assaulted you." His grip tightened on her shoulders.

Anna rubbed his wrists in an effort to calm his rising temper. "Papa, Fredrik is a stupid man, yes, but he's not entirely a cruel one," she said with some reluctance. "He's nobleborn. You know he won't survive a day in a foreign country without some sort of support. At least let lord Vidar help him.”

Anna felt her hope falter when her father's jaw clenched. Banishment was a heavy punishment. She had expected Fredrik to be stripped of his title at most, but this was too far. Agdar was normally just and merciful when it came to these things, but she knew that once he made up his mind, there was no way to sway him.

_It's a good thing I told him Elsa was dead. I don't think he would have listened if I tried to prove she's changed._

The king cupped her face. "Anna, you are a very kind-hearted person, and I love that you care so much for those around you. But you can't let your feelings cloud your judgement. Fredrik committed a serious crime. He's lucky he still has his life to call his own."

"But he never hit me, Papa. He was going to, but he never did."

"Because you stopped him." Agdar let his hands drop to his sides. "And he's lucky you did. If he had, he would have been dead before he regained consciousness."

Anna opened her mouth to argue more, useless as it would have been, but her father held up his hand to silence her. "That's enough on the matter, Anna. It is late, and you need your rest."

Anna cocked her jaw. She hated it when he treated her like she couldn't take care of herself, but she held her tongue.

Their conversation on suitors would have to wait.

"Fine."

Agdar smiled. He kissed her brow before he made his way to the door. He stopped with his hand on the handle. "Goodnight, Anna."

"'Night, Papa," she mumbled.

The door clicked locked when he closed it.

As soon as Anna heard his footsteps retreat down the hall, she rushed to open her window. Her balcony had a fine view of the castle gardens right below. And unbeknownst to most, a tree growing halfway up the castle wall was a somewhat easy way to get down if you knew how to get to it.

Anna slid her coat and cloak back on before she moved outside, shivering in the cold night air. The moon shone full tonight, so finding her way to Elsa's cove shouldn't be too hard.

Getting back in was going to be the hard part. Climbing up the wall was way harder than the way down.

Anna groaned at the thought. She expertly swung under the balcony with a grip on the railing, catching a foot hold on one of the many jutting stones on the castle wall. Letting go of the railing to fall to a handhold, Anna began her descent.

 

* * *

 

Elsa was pacing around the ancient oak tree next to her cave when Anna got there. The blonde was so lost in thought that she didn't notice her approach until she was halfway across the field. The sound of her boots crunching the grass finally made her look up at her.

"Anna!" Elsa ran over to her, concern flashing off her in thick waves. Anna felt herself wheeze from the strength of Elsa's hug.

Elsa quickly pulled back, her brow deeply furrowed. "Are you okay? I was getting worried when you didn't come back. I was going to go by the castle, but I thought—"

Anna held up her hands, shaking her head. "Woah woah woah _woah_. Hold up." She cocked her jaw. "Why in the  _seven hells_  would you come by the castle?" Elsa flinched. She tentatively opened her mouth to speak, but Anna cut her off. "You know what? I'm going to tuck that little topic away for now before I get really mad. That's not what I came out here for."

Elsa let her hands fall to her sides, looking like a kicked puppy. She rubbed one of her arms, averting her eyes. "Anna…about today—"

Anna cut her off again. "I don't want to hear it." She glared up at the taller girl. "What I do want to know is what crazy idea made you think that leaving here to  _follow me around_  and then  _attack_  someone who could have easily seen you and reported you to my father was  _okay_." Elsa flinched at the venom in her words, but she kept going. "Do you have  _any idea_  how stupid that was?"

"I…I was just worried. Your scent was coming from away from the castle, so I thought you were…kidnapped...again…or something…" She shuffled her feet, her eyes suddenly finding the ground interesting at the moment. She blushed and scratched the back of her neck. "Your scent is usually around the castle so I just assumed something was wrong."

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. "That still doesn't explain why you carelessly stepped into the open and used your powers. What if Fredrik had seen you? He could have told my father all about the 'ice monster' that attacked him."

Elsa's face hardened defensively. "He was going to hurt you."

"I had it under control!" Anna flushed a bloody shade of red. "And what about when I told you to run? You just  _stared_  at me! Right in the middle of the field!"

Elsa's hands balled into fists, and her brow lowered over her eyes. "I was angry, okay? I'm sorry if I got a little distracted. That guy's lucky I didn't get to him."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh-Ho! He's  _sooo_  lucky. Oh yeah. That would have been perfect. Both Fredrik  _and_  Thomas, my  _armed guard escort_ , could have told my father  _all_  about you!"

Elsa bared her teeth, a light growl rumbling in her throat. "Did you just want me to stand by and do nothing?! I'm not going to apologize for protecting you!"

"I want you to use your fucking head! I can't help you if you get found out, Elsa! If someone sees you, you're _dead_! My father will know I've been hiding you since I lied to him! I couldn't even plead for your life!"

Elsa snarled, turning on her heel and marching away.

Anna jogged to catch up to her. "Hey!" She jumped in front of Elsa and forced her to stop. "This isn't something you can just hide from, Elsa! Not all of your problems can be solved by pushing them away!"

Elsa growled, her shoulders rising. "What do you  _want_  from me?!"

"I want to know  _why_!" Anna yelled. Her blood pounded in her temples, her nails digging into her palms. "I want to know why, godsdammit! Why would you do something so completely and utterly stupid just so you could—"

Elsa grabbed fistfuls of her dress, yanking her close. Before Anna could pull away, Elsa's warm lips slammed against hers.

Teeth clanked painfully from the sudden jarring. Anna's mind flat-lined blankly as the blonde held her in place. She went numb when Elsa desperately moved her lips to coax some sort of reaction out of her, even if it was rejection.

And for a blissful second, she forgot what the hell it was they were fighting about, her mind too overcome with weeks of pent up emotions bursting forth like a broken dam.

Anna's eyes slid close as she relaxed into the sudden kiss. It was sloppy and inexperienced, but she loved it all the same. She slid her hands over Elsa's shoulders to loop behind her neck. Spurred by Anna's reaction, Elsa released her death grip on her dress and let her hands fall to wrap around her waist. Anna shuddered when she felt a sharp canine glide over her lips before a tongue slid between them, sliding over her own. Her knees threatened to buckle, but Elsa's grip around her waist kept her standing.

Anna tangled her fingers into the silky strands of Elsa's platinum hair and pulled her forward to deepen the kiss. She gasped into Elsa's mouth when their bodies pressed flush against each other, and she felt Elsa growl before exploring her mouth with new vigor.

The need for breath made them separate. Their foreheads pressed together, hot pants mingling as arctic blue stared into bright teal.

Purring, Elsa ran her hand up Anna's back, her fingers a ghost-like touch that made her shiver. "You have no idea how long I wanted to do that," she breathed, her voice thick and low.

She sputtered as soon as the words left her mouth. "I-I mean…" Anna smiled at the cherry blush glazing Elsa's cheeks. "Anna, I…Ever since our trip back here, I've wanted to be with you. I want to be with you so much it hurts." She looked away, their foreheads still pressed together. "I'm so happy when you're around. I've never felt like this before. But whenever you leave..." Blue eyes locked with teal. "Whenever you leave, it gets harder and harder to see you go. I'm scared now that one day you won't come back. You've made my life worth living again, and I don't know what I'd do if you left."

Elsa pulled their bodies impossibly closer. "I l-like you, Anna…I like you a lot," she said in a small voice.

Anna smiled brightly. She tugged Elsa's neck down to bring their faces closer. "Well good, because I like you a lot, too." Her smile at Elsa's awed face melted against her lips as she pulled the blonde in for another kiss, this one slower than the last. She smirked when she felt Elsa's thunderous purr echo against her.

They eventually separated, staring into each other’s eyes. Elsa happily beamed, a lopsided smile hanging stupidly on her lips.

Anna traced her fingers through the soft hairs on the back of Elsa's neck. "Don't think you're not in trouble still, missy. I want no more of this putting yourself in danger stuff, understand? I just about pulled out my hair from worry today," she chastised, scowling half-heartedly. "I’m sorry for getting so mad at you. Just promise me that you'll stay where no one can see you. Please. What almost happened today terrified me. I...I don't want you to get hurt."

Elsa smiled. "I promise. I'm sorry I made you worry."

Anna buried her face in Elsa's neck. "I forgive you," she mumbled against her skin. Elsa's warmth washed over her like a blanket, and the rumbling purr against her ear lulled her to relax against the blonde, wishing she could stay in her arms for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

Anna groaned as she hauled herself over her balcony.  _Damn wall._  She reluctantly got to her feet and stumbled into her room. It was nearly morning now. Gerda would be knocking at her door in a half-hour or so to wake her up.

She shuffled to her dresser and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a fresh dress. She changed out of the one she currently wore with some reluctance. She could still smell Elsa's scent in the green fabric.

She touched her fingers to her lips, almost able to imagine Elsa's gentle touch. The thought sent her heart fluttering in her chest.

Anna walked to her mirror. Hopefully she didn't have any bags under her eyes. If she did, she would have to cover them with powder. She didn't need anyone questioning what she was doing last night.

She put her hands on her hips, examining her reflection.  _Not too bad. My hair looks pretty good, too. No need to re-braid it_ , she happily thought. Maybe now she could close her eyes for a few minutes and get some measure of sleep.

Just as she was stepping away from the mirror, Anna did a double-take. She leaned in close to her reflection, rubbing her sleepless eyes to confirm what she was seeing.

A snow white streak ran through her hair, curling through her braid.

_Uh oh._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** It's about damn time. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	15. No Such Thing as a Fair Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Spring break is just around the corner u_u **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Anna jumped to her left, narrowly missing being cleaved in half. "Watch it, Kristoff!" The redhead countered the attack with a few jabs of her own sword, pushing him back.

Kristoff smirked as he blocked her with practiced ease. "Hey, don't blame me. You're the one who's distracted." He pivoted around her next strike, hitting her helmet with the broad side of his sword. Anna clutched her head as the metal chimed deafeningly loud. "You're making this too easy."

Anna gritted her teeth, spinning in the dirt clearing. At the edge of her vision, she saw soldiers hanging on the posts surrounding the training area, cheering and hooting. They must have started a bet on the match again.

Kristoff's smirk twisted arrogantly. He lazily twirled his sword, egging her to attack.

Anna fumed. She raced forward, sword high and descending fast. Kristoff barely managed to block the swing, the resounding clang momentarily drowning out their audience. Anna slid her sword down Kristoff's. The knight yelped and jumped back when it smashed into his gauntleted hand. He staggered and clutched his hand to his chest, switching his sword to his left. As a body-guard of the royal family, it was an added bonus that the blonde knew how to fight with both hands.

Anna ran forward and swept Kristoff's feet from beneath him. The man landed with a wheeze on his back, half of the crowd growing anxious while the other half cheered louder.

"Come on, get up, blondie!" yelled a voice from the crowd.

 _Blonde…?_  An image of platinum blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes passed through Anna's mind, the emotions attached to the mental picture making her pause mid-step and blush.

She was pulled back to reality when a sword swung close to her face. She staggered backwards as Kristoff pressed forward, swinging madly to capitalize on her distraction. A hard swing and a poor block made Anna lose her two-handed grip. Her shoulder wretched painfully, but she managed to keep her sword in hand. Unfortunately, her senses were too distracted by the sudden pain to see Kristoff's next attack before it was too late.

Anna reflexively raised her hand to guard her face. Cold metal cut through the leather on the underside of her gauntlet, slicing her arm. She dropped to one knee.

Kristoff immediately stopped when he saw blood on the edge of his sword. He knelt in front of the redheaded princess, shaking her shoulder. "Anna, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

Kristoff wheezed as he was tackled, his opponent kneeling her light weight over his torso and gently pressing her sword to his jugular. His eyes widened disbelievingly while Anna leaned close, an arrogant grin slicing her face from ear to ear. "I win~," she sing-songed.

The small crowd watching them yelled and booed equally as money was doled out to smug winners. The soldiers quickly tucked away their winnings before resuming their own work-outs or duties around the training area.

Anna stood up. She breathed heavily, sweat pouring down her dirty face. She sheathed her sword and offered Kristoff a hand. The blonde begrudgingly took it. "No fair. You cheated,” he grumbled.

"I did not! I was genuinely hurt, thank you very much. And besides, since when has there been a rule book for dueling? Unless you're in competition, it's anything goes."

Kristoff crossed his arms. "Your lack of honor is inspiring," he drawled. Anna punched his arm.

The two walked to the side of the arena where a table sat piled high with training gear. Kristoff took off his helmet and shook his sweaty locks, sighing when the cold air tickled his skull. When he looked down at his companion, he noted with slight curiosity that she had changed out of her helmet and into a hat in the few seconds that he wasn't looking.

He arched an eyebrow. "Okay. Spill it." Anna blinked at him in innocent confusion, unclasping her breastplate.

"Spill what? What are you talking about?" she muttered. She tossed the breastplate down with a clang, moving on to delicately remove the gauntlet on her hurt arm.

Kristoff leaned against the table. "What's with the hats?" He pointed to the said piece of clothing. The redhead had been wearing the same headwear for the past week. The mention of it seemed to make Anna work her gauntlet faster.

"What? Can't a girl wear a hat without having her motives questioned? It's bloody freezing out if you haven't noticed."

"Normal girls, yes. But you're Anna." The redhead shot him a glare. "And the Anna I know would rather have her fingers slowly broken than be normal."

"M-Maybe I'm trying a new style," Anna said, cursing her stutter. A cold sweat beaded on the back of her neck when Kristoff leered at her. "I don't see why you're so concerned about a stupid hat. It's ju—HEY!"

Anna jumped for her hat when Kristoff tore it off her head, but the taller man easily held it out of reach. She scrambled to cover the left side of her hair, but she was too late.

Kristoff's eyes widened to dinner plates when a lock of snowy white hair fell from Anna's head. It was a long strand that was deliberately kept out of her usual braids. He sputtered in shock, his mouth opening and closing dumbly before revelation hit him like a charging horse. _"What the hell did you two do?!"_ he yelled.

Anna jabbed him in the stomach, grabbing her hat back as he curled up with a guttural wheeze. She quickly pulled on the cloth and tucked her white lock of hair under it. "Would you  _please_  not yell?!" she hissed, looking around.

Kristoff rubbed his sore stomach, glaring at her. "Explain.  _Now._ "

Anna nervously tugged at the end of her leather tunic. "Well, a week ago Elsa and I kissed, and—"

 _"What?!"_ Kristoff squeaked. "You. Did.  _What?!_ "

Anna motioned for him to hush, a few bystanders shooting them a confused look before going about their own business. She looked up at her knight, blushing. "We kissed, okay? And then this thing sortof…showed up…"

"And you didn't bother telling me?! For a  _week_?!" he yelled in a whisper. Anna weakly nodded, her cheeks reddening darker. Kristoff pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. You two kissed. You have white hair now," he mumbled to himself. He glared. "Did you tell Frosty to make it go away?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "I already asked her, Kristoff. Elsa doesn't know what it is, either." She looked away, her face burning. "I-It may be a…a mark or something, but we're not entirely sure."

Kristoff slowly blinked. "Wait…You two…and a…and you kissed…" His eyes widened. "Are you two…you know…together?" he asked in a small voice.

"Well, I wouldn't say _together_  together because, I mean, it's only been a week, but ugh…yeah, I guess." Anna smiled fondly, her blush intensifying ten-fold.

Kristoff buried his face in his hands. "Anna…"

Anna hardened her gaze. "Is there a problem with us?"

Kristoff peaked between his fingers to find her glare. He dropped his hands and sighed. "Anna, I would hope that by now you would know that I don't give two fucks about who you or anyone else likes." He placed a hand on her shoulder, Anna's gaze softening considerably. "The problem isn't that she's a woman, the problem is that she's  _Elsa_ , committer of high treason and supposedly dead. Am I the only one who sees a problem here?"

Anna pushed away his hand. "Trust me, I know," she said with a defeated scowl. "But there isn't anything we can do about it."

"Of course there is! Nip this thing in the bud before it gets out of control."

"Kristoff, you don't understand. I really think I might lo—love that match, eh Kristoff? I have to admit, I was a bit out of shape, but it was still enough to beat your lazy butt." Anna smiled painfully, leaning against the table.

Kristoff cocked his head in confusion before the sound of approaching footsteps made him turn to find Kai walking towards them. The head butler bowed respectfully.

"Sorry, Kai. I know I'm late. Tell Master Roftsen I'll be in for my etiquette lesson as soon as I change."

"I'm afraid that lesson has been canceled for today, Your Highness."

Anna arched an eyebrow. "Is Master Roftsen sick?"

"No, Your Highness. Your father wishes to speak with you immediately. He says it's of the utmost importance."

Anna exchanged a brief glance with Kristoff. Surely it had nothing to do with Elsa, but the fear still danced up her spine before logic caged it away.

"Okay, then. Lead the way."

 

* * *

 

"You wanted to talk to me, Papa?" Anna peeked her head into her father's study, now dressed in normal day clothes. The king was sitting in his leather chair with his hands laced together over his suspiciously empty desk.

"Hello, Anna. Come in. Please take a seat." He grinned, motioning her to one of the seats in front of his desk. "I ugh…I have a bit to talk to you about."

Anna slowly sat down. "I've been needing to talk to you too. It's about what happened with Fredr—with lord Vidar's son."

King Agdar's mustache fell into a straight line. "It would seem we're already on the same subject, then." He fiddled his thumbs and cleared his throat, giving his daughter a long look before he heavily exhaled. "Anna, I don't know how else to say this, so I shall be frank and to the point."

Anna arched an eyebrow. Her father was never nervous. "Okay…"

"Anna…" Matching teal eyes stared at each other. "…you're getting married."

Long seconds dragged painfully into a minute before Anna attempted to make some coherent thought. She opened and closed her mouth dumbly, words suddenly flying through her mind at a million per second. "Huh?!" was all she could manage.

Agdar took a calming breath, mentally preparing himself for the storm he knew was coming. "Let me explain. I know this is a lot to take in and very sudden, but you need to understand—"

"I'M. GETTING. MARRIED?!" Anna's nails bit into her chair’s plush leather. Her face quickly flushed from pale shock to red fury. "Not even courted, just straight up married?! And you didn't bother discussing this with me?!"

Agdar held up his hands. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Anna. When I said you're getting married, I meant that you have been engaged to get married, not that you're getting married in the immediate sense."

Anna tossed back a hand, slumping in her chair. Nonsense tumbled out of her mouth as she tried to align her thoughts into sentences. "I can't believe it. Fredrick was right. That lousy fucker was right about you—"

"Language, Anna."

Anna shot out of her chair. "Damn my language!" She paced in front of his desk, her muscles tensed with furious adrenaline. "He said you were begging to marry me off. I couldn't believe that you would—" Anna growled, a noise that sounded like a cross between a groan and a scream.

Agdar straightened his back, his face hardening. "Anna, that's _enough_. Stop this tantrum and sit down so we can talk about this civilly."

"Oh, so  _now_ you want to talk," she drawled, laughing almost insanely. "Tell me, who's the lucky guy you sold me to?"

Agdar shrunk back slightly. "I didn't sell you, Anna. I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark like this, but I was just trying to protect you."

"Protect me? Protect me from  _what_  exactly?" Anna slowed her pacing, finally able to contain her anger to some degree. "The last man you set me up with was a misogynistic pig who attacked me. Your  _protection_  record isn't exactly speaking volumes for you."

Agdar looked up at her pleadingly. "I didn't want you to be manipulated into marrying someone who just wanted you for the crown. You…You're a very kind-hearted person, Anna. You see the best in others, and that is an admirable gift to have. But there are people out there who would like nothing more than to use that gift to extort you."

Anna's jaw clenched. "So you're saying you don't trust me."

"No! No, not at all," the king said. "I trust you implicitly. It's others I have a problem with. I tried going to men that I thought to be reliable, but they didn't think themselves worthy of the position. I shied away from considering suitors from outside the country, but Hans has proven himself to be—"

Anna's head snapped up. "Hans? You engaged me to  _Hans_?"

"…Yes," Agdar said with careful slowness, trying to gauge Anna's response. "He has proven himself through service and friendship that he would make a fine husband. When you were kidnapped, he tirelessly searched for you. As thirteenth in line to his own kingdom, he has no want for money and he poses no political threat. I believe he would make a good match for you." The king shifted in his seat, the medals on his uniform swaying softly.

Agdar cocked an eyebrow when Anna buried her face in her hands, murmuring incoherently. "I thought you would have been happy with the arrangement. Ever since his arrival last week, you've been acting happier than usual. Almost like you were ‘ _sick with love_ ,’ as they say."

Anna choked back a hollow laugh.  _Close, but no cigar, Papa._  "He's…He’s a good man, Papa, I'll give you that, but…but I don't  _love_ him," she said, her face coiling up at the thought of ever being romantically involved with the sideburned man. "Why do I even have to get married at all? This is kindof sudden, don't you think?"

The king rubbed his aching temples. "Anna, it is a truth I hesitate to admit, but I am getting older. Who's to say that I won't die in the next few years? I know that you have been training your whole life to take up the throne after me, but…" Suddenly the wrinkles on his face seemed deeper than usual, and his auburn hair gleamed silver in small patches. "This is not a job to do alone. Trust me, Anna. My father told me that the weight of ruling would crush a weak man. I didn't believe him until your mother passed."

Anna began to relax, but her disapproving scowl remained. Agdar sighed heavily. "I pray every day that you will never have to endure this pain, and you have to trust me when I try to make precautions to prevent it. If you can find a trustworthy suitor to take Hans' stead, I will gladly make the arrangements. But until then, there has to be some security of the throne."

"Security of the throne?" Anna's hands balled into fists. "I didn't know we were talking about heirs."

"That is not what I was talking about, exactly, but that does factor into the decision made. If anything were to happen to me or you—gods forbid—before another heir is produced, the throne will fall to your cousin. I don't foresee that as a problem, but nonetheless, the council has agreed—unanimously, might I add—that you need a spouse to help you rule and ensure the stability of the kingdom."

"So I'm not trusted to rule. I need a husband to…to keep me in line and make sure I don’t screw anything up."

"That's…That’s not what I—"

"Oh, but it is,  _father_ ," she spat, striding towards the door. "All that talk of weak men breaking under the stress of ruling— _you_  don't even trust me.” Her voice cracked.

Agdar stood up. "Anna, I—"

Anna slammed the door behind her before she took off down the hall, barely contained sobs choking her as she ran.

 

* * *

 

Elsa stretched out her claws, purring in content. She was sprawled out on her side over a flat boulder near the river's edge. The first snow had fallen a few days ago, but it was still relaxing to lie out and soak the afternoon sun into her pelt.

A furious mumbling from the entrance of her cove made her lift her head. She parted her mouth, curiously perking her ears when Anna’s familiar scent rolled over her tongue.

The redhead stormed through the tunnel into the open field. Elsa had seen her mad a few times before, but never like this. She looked ready to murder someone, and she glared at everything in her path.

Elsa hopped down from her comfortable perch, her thick paws silently crunching the snow. She arched her back in a long stretch, yawning away her sleepiness.

"I can't believe he would do that!" Anna yelled, throwing her hat. Her winter skirt flapped about her as she paced by the oak tree in front of Elsa's cave. "Of all the inconsiderate, lying, mean, devious—AHHH!" She threw her hands up, grabbing fistfuls of her hair.

Elsa skirted around the furious redhead and sat in the snow at the base of the tree.

"'It's for your protection, Anna. You don't know how to rule by yourself, Anna. We don't  _trust_  you, Anna'!" Anna ground her teeth, her breath coming hard through her nose. "Just…GAH!" She flailed her hands and yelled, her body steaming with anger. She kicked the snowy ground, immediately regretting the decision when the momentum of the kick and the slip of her foot made her fall.

Elsa shot forward and ducked her head to catch her. Anna limply laid over her for a solid thirty seconds while she calmed down. She eventually stood up and smoothed the fur on Elsa's head. "Thanks," she muttered, breathless. "Sorry about that."

Elsa made a ‘ _chuffing_ ’ sound before padding over to lie against the oak tree where there was the least amount of snow. The tiger jerked her head to motion for Anna to join her.

Anna sighed before plopping down against Elsa's furry side, the tiger curling warmly around her and resting her heavy head in her lap. Feeling Elsa’s chest methodically rise and fall against her back calmed her slightly. She placed her hands on Elsa's head, absentmindedly running her fingers through her fur.

"Elsa, I—"

Elsa cut her off with a growl. Surprised, Anna snapped her mouth shut and laid against her furry friend, trying to calm the storm brewing in her mind.

Anna organized her thoughts while Elsa peacefully dozed off. Her pink nose twitched every now and then, and Anna entertained herself through the silence by scratching Elsa's flicking ears.

Anna was beginning to doze off herself when Elsa finally moved. She uncurled herself from the redhead, shifting back to her human form and lying against the tree. She wrapped her arms around Anna's waist and pulled her in-between her legs.

"Ready to talk about it?" Elsa softly asked. She tightened her arms around Anna's middle, bringing her flush against her.

Anna sighed. "Yes. Sorry for barging in like that."

"Not a problem." She rested her chin on Anna's shoulder. "Now, what's got you so upset?"

"My father is a total jerk," Anna said. "Now I see why you called him a tyrant. Well, I guess you called him that because he was trying to kill you. You never talked to him or anything. You're not missing much, trust me—You're the only one that does that anymore. Trust me, that is. I know I can be a little spontaneous and goofy at times, but I'd be a good queen. I'd be a great queen. I'd be the queen of queens." Anna tucked her arms around Elsa's. "I'm sorry. I just…I know I'm rambling. I'll shut up."

Elsa lightly laughed, making the redhead blush when her chest bounced against her back. "No, you need to let it out, Anna. It's never good to conceal these types of things. Trust me."

Anna leaned into the blonde, her face brushing Elsa's cheek. "Elsa…I'm engaged."

Elsa's head shot up from her shoulder. "What?!" she squeaked. She tightened her grip.

"That's what  _I_  said. The council says I need a husband to 'ensure the security of the throne'—whatever the hell that means. My father agrees with them. He thinks I can't handle the responsibility."

Elsa swallowed hard to suppress her growl. She settled back against Anna's shoulder, forcing herself to relax for her sake. "Did he really say that?"

"Well…not exactly. But he might as well have." She looked away, her face a stone scowl. "I'm engaged to Hans. He's a prince from the Southern Isles. He's not a bad guy, granted, but I have no intention of ever getting involved with him as a suitor."

Elsa shifted, pulling her closer. "Do you…plan on getting involved with other suitors?" she hesitantly asked.

Anna turned and planted a kiss on Elsa's cheek, nuzzling her neck. "No. I'm already taken." She smiled when Elsa purred and reciprocated the small cuddle.

Anna's face fell to a seldom expression. "But what should I do? I don't really plan on getting married anytime soon, especially to any prince."

"You need to make that decision yourself. You said you didn't want other people telling you what to do."

"But…But you're different!"

Elsa quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You understand me. I need your advice."

Elsa smirked. "Well, if I were to give you any advice, I would say that you need to talk more with your father about it. I'm no psychic, but judging from how you were a few minutes ago, I'm guessing this talk you had was more like an argument."

A sprinkle of red across Anna's cheeks proved her suspicions. "Anna, when you speak slowly, you actually have a fantastic way with words. And you can be pretty convincing when you want to be. I should know. I would still be in the Northern Mountains and you would probably be floating at the bottom of a river if you weren't." Anna half-heatedly smacked her arm, and Elsa laughed. "My point is, you need to trust yourself. Your father loves you very much. I know he'll be open to listen to you if you give yourself the chance."

Anna was quiet for a long minute. Elsa was about to ask if she said something wrong when the redhead suddenly spun around, eager lips smacking against her own in a bruising kiss. She grunted in surprise, blushing madly when tan thighs straddled her lap and freckled arms looped around her neck.

Anna pulled away, giggling at the blonde's dazed expression. "Thank you, Elsa." She grinned and cupped her cheek. "I don't deserve you."

"True. I am quite the catch." Anna pouted, and Elsa smiled. The blonde leaned into her palm, but the metallic scent of blood snapped her to attention.

Elsa yanked Anna's arm back and ripped up her sleeve, revealing the still bleeding gash she got from Kristoff. "What did you  _do_?" she asked with a degree of distressed concern, tracing her fingers along the long but shallow wound. Before Anna could answer, Elsa moved her so she could stand up. "I'll be right back."

Elsa quickly returned with a handful linens and a bowl of water. She didn't have any herbs, but she thoroughly instructed Anna to get some when she got back to the castle.

She grumbled as she tenderly washed the wound with a wet cloth. "What did you do this time?" she snapped. "I swear, every day you come to me bruised or bleeding for some Anna-related reason."

Anna cocked her jaw. "Not true. I don't see you  _every_  day." Elsa shot her an unamused glare. "Okay, fine. I was dueling, alright? It means fighting with swords. It's been a while since me and Kristoff went at it, and I was a little slow. Still beat him, though."

Elsa paused wrapping Anna's now clean arm in fresh linen. She made a mental note to deal with Kristoff next time he visited. " _You_  can use a sword?" she asked.

"Yes." Elsa rolled her eyes, finishing Anna's arm. "What? Is it really that hard to believe?"

Elsa snorted. "I'm not buying it."

"It's true!" Anna pulled her hand back when Elsa was finished. "My father wanted me to know how to defend myself." She hesitated before adding, "He had me learn hand-to-hand, too."

"And we saw just how well  _that_ helped you."

Anna puffed out her cheeks. "No fair. Those thugs snuck up on me while I was sleeping. I totally could have taken them if it was a fair fight."

"There’s no such thing as a fair fight, Anna."

Anna sputtered, her neck heating up. "I-I know that."

Elsa sat still for a long minute, her eyes calculating. Then she stood up. "Well, if you really want to learn how to defend yourself, I suppose I could show you a few pointers." She helped Anna to her feet, and the two walked from out beneath the tree.

Elsa crouched in a loose fighting stance. "Show me what you got."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Really?"

"If your abilities really are as strong as you say, then beating me should be easy," Elsa said with a shrug. "Unless, of course, the princess of Arendelle runs from a fight whenever she's challenged."

Anna clenched her jaw. "Oh, you are _so_ going down, blondie."

Anna gained her balance before she charged the smirking blonde. She had no intention of hurting Elsa, and it was that small nagging in the back of her mind that made her hesitate. Elsa easily took advantage of an opening, and before Anna knew what was happening, she was face-first in the snow.

Elsa watched her sit up and spit snow out of her mouth. "Oh dear. I see the result of your training," she smugly said.

Anna gritted her teeth and clutched handfuls of snow. She shot to her feet and charged again, fists ablaze. Elsa dodged and blocked each one, weaving against Anna's force. Anna waited for her to shine her cocky smirk again before she threw the snow that was in her hand. The blonde staggered back with a yelp and pawed the snow out of her eyes.

Anna used the distraction to drive her fist into Elsa's stomach, but the contact never came. Her wrist was caught and pulled above her head, spinning her around and pushing her backwards. Bark hitting her back blew the air from her lungs, and when she opened her eyes, she found a pair of arctic blue staring back at her. The smirking blonde had her wrists pinned to the oak beside her head.

Elsa lightly laughed. "I win~," she sing-songed, practically beaming at the pouting princess. "That was a cheap move, by the way."

Elsa tensed when Anna's eyes darkened with something she didn’t quite recognize. The redhead bit her lip, rolling the rosy flesh between her teeth as her mouth curled into a sultry smirk. "I'm sorry,  _Elsa…_ ," Anna drawled, all but moaning Elsa's name. The blonde felt her neck heat up like her blood had suddenly turned to liquid fire. "I didn't mean to be _bad_ …"

Elsa desperately tried to look anywhere but at the redhead. I felt like a sin to do so. Her heart took off almost like she was panicking. She wanted to pull away, but her suddenly stiff legs were useless at the moment.

Anna arched against her, the faint touch like a kiss that made her instinctively lean in for more. Anna's eyes became half-lidded as she drew closer, her jaw hanging slack. She tilted her head, giving Elsa a spectacular view of her neck before teasingly brushing her lips against the corner of Elsa's mouth.

Elsa’s arms started to shake, her voice cracking terribly. “U-Ugh…A…A-Anna—I…W-Wha—“

"But it's like you said…" Anna interrupted. Her breath ghosted over Elsa's cheek, and the blonde's knees threatened to buckle. "…There's no such thing as a fair fight."

Elsa yelped when Anna kicked the back of her knees and tackled her into the snow. After a few numb seconds, the blonde dumbly blinked up at Anna sitting on her mid-section. "I win!" she cheered, smirking at Elsa's dazed face.

The blonde quickly recovered and scowled. "You…You cheated."

Anna leaned down and pecked a chaste kiss on her lips. "There's no cheating in a fight, Elsa dear. Just winning and losing."

Elsa’s pursed lips were Anna’s only warning before the blonde suddenly shape-shifted. Anna squeaked when the tiger’s much larger, heavier body easily flipped them so that she was lying on top of her. The princess groaned under her weight, vainly pushing silver-pelt shoulders.

"Oh, come on!" Elsa gently licked her face, the thick muscle gliding over freckled skin like sandpaper. "Elsa, you're seriously heavy! You're killing me!"

Anna gasped for breath when Elsa shifted back to her more bearable human form. The blonde grinned down at her. "What was that you said about winners and losers?" she drawled. Anna huffed, a light blush glazing her cheeks when Elsa laughed at her.

The two slowly paused in their position. Elsa's gaze latched onto the peak of pink tongue poking out of Anna's slack mouth. Before the blonde could even think about doing the obvious, Anna leaned up to catch her lips.

Elsa purred into the kiss, leading the redhead to the ground and blanketing her weight over her. She propped herself up on her elbows, and Anna wove her fingers into her hair to tug at the roots.

When they parted, Elsa softly trailed her lips along Anna's jawline, her touch as cautious as if the princess were made of paper thin glass as she kissed her freckled flesh.

 _"Elsa…,"_ Anna sighed, her voice growing thick. She squirmed beneath the blonde, whimpering when Elsa's canines gently grazed the crook of her neck. "I have to get back to the castle." Elsa nuzzled the column of her throat, and Anna arched against her and almost tugged her braid. "Lesson…Have to go to…"

Elsa pulled away. Anna nearly whined at the loss, and she only then noticed that she was panting. Her body buzzed, crying for more of the blonde's attention.

Elsa smirked at the princess' disheveled state. She glanced at the streak of white loosely hanging over Anna's braid. She ran her fingers through it, her chest suddenly warming and swelling as a purr rumbled deep in her throat.

Anna swatted her hand away. "That's another thing I need to talk to you about. What the heck am I supposed to do about this…this _thing_? I can only wear hats for so long. People are getting suspicious."

Elsa's face fell. "Do…Do you not like it?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Of course I like it, Elsa. I love it. If I could, I would wear it for the whole world to see, but I can't. People can't know about you, you know that."

"You could cut it, I suppose," Elsa said. "Unless you have some paint for your hair, I think that's the only option at this point. That or stick to the hat idea."

"I guess you're right. It's a shame, though. I really do like it." Anna let her arms fall around Elsa's neck.

"It looks good on you." Elsa said, subconsciously purring.

"It's not the only thing that looks good on me," Anna said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, glancing up and down Elsa's body.

Elsa shook her head. "You're too much."

"And you, dear Elsa, are not enough," she huskily breathed.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Okay, that's enough. Don't you have a father to go talk to? Or a lesson or something?"

Anna pouted. "You find some sick joy in sucking the fun out of everything don't you?"

"That's my job, didn't you know?" Elsa rolled off the redhead, lying on her back. "To make sure Princess Anna of Arendelle has all the fun sucked out of her life."

Anna leaned on her elbow. "I was going to make another joke, but I'll just leave it there for you to figure out."

Elsa cocked an eyebrow, a few long seconds passing before her face flushed a cherry red that was almost steaming. Anna stood and made her retreat, giggling like a maniac while Elsa wallowed in her own embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Whipped this out between classes. Made it extra long since idk when I'll be able to write again. Hope ya enjoyed. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	16. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** I honestly didn't think I was going to write this today, but why not:D **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Anna rolled her white strand into a small curl, pressing it against her head. She leaned close to the mirror as she carefully wrapped a green headband beneath her braids. She patted it in place to disguise the slight bump the white curl made under the silk.

 _So much for cutting it off._  She re-situated the band to make sure that it covered the new stump of cut hair on her scalp. She had her reservations about cutting the white strand off, but she did it anyways.

She wished she had listened to herself. The damn streak jumped to the hair right next to the lock she chopped off. There was no getting rid of it apparently.

Her stomach cramped with hunger.  _Damn._  She grimaced at the thought of food. She had been holed in her room since her lesson trying to solve her hair problem. For the first time in forever, food wasn't at the top of her mind.

She strode out of her room and down the hall, candlelight washing with pale moonlight. Her mouth watered at the smell of food as she approached the dining hall. She picked up her pace before opening the double-doors.

Her stomach twisted when she found Crow's unwelcoming figure leering over her father.

"—ld will be delivered to your ship by noon tomorrow, Mr. Quade. I am sorry for any inconvenience this has brought you, bu—."

Anna flinched when Crow slammed his fist on the table. "Inconvenience my ass!" he bellowed, his scared face red with fury. "I've been workin' my ass off fer  _thriteen_  goddam years, and you expect me to just drop everything?! That bitch's caused me more trouble than you can possibly imagine!"

Adgar laced his fingers together. "I understand the investment you have made in this contract, and I am grateful to you for that—but there is no reason to continue this manhunt. I already told you that—Anna?"

Anna weakly waved when both men turned to their new guest. The princess clicked the doors shut behind her.

Crow's face twisted into a stomach churning sneer. He swiveled around Agdar's chair and stormed towards the redhead. "Well if it isn't the little—!"

"Edgar!" the king boomed, shooting out of his chair. The mountainous man stopped in his tracks, Anna trying to shrink into the door. He turned to the king with a snarl. "You and I will continue this conversation later."

Crow ground his teeth, fists balling at his sides. He jerked a finger at Anna. "Not until I get some answers out of—"

"Do  _not_  make me repeat myself, sir." Auburn brows lowered dangerously over teal eyes. A tense second passed as the two men glared each other down. "Now as I said, you will be paid compensation for your service and the sudden inconvenience I have made for you. A room has been prepared for you as per usual. I will see you tomorrow morning with a clear head."

Crow growled, the silent order to leave grinding his pride like sandpaper on stone. Anna shuffled out of the way to avoid being trampled as the heavy man stormed past her. The door slammed with a loud splinter.

King Agdar slumped into his chair with a sigh. Anna stepped forward and cautiously took her seat at his right. "What was that about?" she asked, though she already knew.

The king didn't look up at her. "Just a quabble over business." He picked up his silverware and began cutting his food. They were eating something green, and though the mere thought of ingesting anything plant-related made Anna want to run and hide in her chocolate stash, she took his lead and began eating. "Mr. Quade is quite cross that I no longer require his services. I would think him to be happy hearing that the monster he's been tracking for over a decade was dead, but I suppose not."

"But that's enough about that." He took a sip from his cup before reclining in his chair, giving Anna a half-serious look. "Anna, we need to talk about…about our discussion this morning."

_Oh boy._

"Firstly, I would like to apologize. Though my intentions I believe were good, I've handled this whole situation rather poorly. I dumped a great burden on you that I should have better prepared you for."

Anna slowly blinked. The last thing she expected to follow up from earlier was an apology. "It's fine, Papa, really. I wasn't exactly stellar either." She gave a soft laugh. The sound seemed to make him relax slightly. "But we do need to talk about this whole marriage thing."

The king grinned. "This is true, but there is a more pressing matter that I need to discuss with you first."

"More pressing than my spontaneous marriage?"

Her father was not amused. "Anna, be serious."

"I am serious. What else could there be?"

"I'm talking about these little outings that you have a habit of making," he sternly said. "Don't think I haven't noticed. I've tried to be patient since your return and give you space in order to digest the ordeal you were forced through, but this is ridiculous. The outdoors can be healing for the mind, yes, but venturing out alone as often as you do without any guard is recklessly dangerous."

"I'm not alone," she blurted in defense. "Kristoff's with me."

"He's only with you half the time from what I hear, and having only him is not enough. You shouldn't leave the castle without your escort."

"Papa, nothing's happened, and nothing's going to happen. I'm fine on my own. I've been doing it for years."

"And you've been sleeping in your bed for years without an intruder kidnapping you, but one time is all it takes, isn't it?" he said. Anna glanced away.

The king held one of her hands, his eyes softening. "Sweetie, please talk to me. I need to know that you understand. I can't take losing you a second time."

Anna kept her gaze locked on her plate, her hunger suddenly gone.

"You've never run away this often before," he softly said, his voice almost a whisper. "Prince Hans tells me you've missed numerous meetings with him because you were outside the castle. The Anna I know would never run away from attention." He gave a small smile before ducking his head to meet her gaze. "Do you really not like him that much?"

"Well I…I don't  _not_  like him. He's a nice guy and all. Has a fantastic taste for sandwiches…but it's just…" Anna bit her lip. "I don't know how to say it, but he just…has this thing about him."

Anna nearly jumped in her seat when her father straightened to attention. "Did he do something to you?"

"What? No! No, of course not," she quickly said. "I just…don't like his type of people…"

Agdar cocked his jaw, his brow scrunched together. "I'm sorry. I don't understand what you mean."

Anna felt her face heat up. "I'm just saying that I… _prefer_  people that aren't...um…"  _Oh just spit it out!_  "I-I find ugh...romantic interest in people who aren't…men."

One second passed. Then two. Three.

"Oh," the king simply said, his jaw slack. He leaned back in his chair. _"Oohh."_

Anna's face burned, and she was sure her cheeks matched her hair. She waited with baited breath as her father processed her words.

 _Should have just kept quiet_ , she thought to herself as Agdar ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't entirely true anyways. She had a crush on Kristoff for the longest time before she realized it was just a brotherly love. And she had never entertained the idea of women until she met Elsa.

The king cleared his throat. Twice. "Well, ugh…that's…" In any other situation, Anna would have laughed. She had never seen her father at a loss for words before. "Well, quite frankly I wish you had told me sooner."

Anna nearly choked on her own spit. "W-What?" Her father calmly looked at her. "You're...okay with that?"

He scowled. "Why wouldn't I be? You can't choose who you love."

"B-But all that talk you had about security and thrones and heirs and stuff...Wouldn't this kindof, you know, not work with that?"

Agdar rolled his glass in his hand, watching its contents swirl. "Well, there is a matter of heirs that would need to be sorted out. I'll need to pay my brother a visit about having your cousin legitimized as heir after you. The council might not be too keen on having two women leading the country, but the people adore you. So long as they accept the change, it won't matter what those old men have to say on the matter."

Anna put her head in her hands, trying to sort out what had just happened and pinching herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. There was no way this should be this easy. "But what about me needing a husband to help me rule? You said I couldn't take the pressure."

The king put a hand on her shoulder. "Anna, I didn't mean you couldn't withstand the stress of ruling a country. And I by no means meant that you need a  _husband_. I apologize if that's what you inferred from it, but what I meant was that you shouldn't be going into this position alone. This job is far from easy. Sharing the burden with someone, even if it's just to complain, is enough of a cushion to keep you going."

Anna smiled, words being too hard to weave together at the moment. Her father planted a soft kiss on her brow.

He sat back down in his chair. "But don't think this excuses your frolicking away into the forest. I don't want you outside of these walls without at least two guards escorting you. I've already heightened security since you've returned, but this is necessary as well, understand?"

"Y…Yes, Papa."

They resumed their meal, a few word courtesies spoken but otherwise silent as they merely enjoyed each others' presence.

"Hey, Papa?"

The king looked up at her. "Hm?"

"I know this might just be a stupid question, but hear me out. Is there any way for a person who's committed treason to—I don't know—recant for their crime?"

Her father arched an eyebrow. "You're asking if they can have their actions forgiven to avoid punishment?"

"I wouldn't word it like that, but yeah. Or at least lower it to a few years of community service or something?"

"Absolutely not." The king put down his silverware, his face a concerned scowl. "Anna, why would you even think about something like that? If a person commits a crime, it's our duty as heads of the country to ensure that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Anna stuffed a chunk of lettuce in her mouth, chewed it half-way, and painfully swallowed the still chunky food before answering. "W-Well, if a girl has a lot of time alone, she can't help but think about these things, right?" Her father wasn't amused. "I'm sorry. That was stupid."

"Well…I wouldn't say stupid as much as misinformed. You haven't delved that deep into your legal studies yet. Not the discernment aspect, that is."

Anna blushed. "Sorry. Forget I said anything."

Her father looked at her for a long second before picking his napkin from his lap and putting it on the table. "You know, I would be more than happy to teach you. I've come to learn that legal discernment is an ability that comes from experience more than books. Tomorrow morning I'm hearing cases undecided by the council. You could join me if you like."

Anna put down her cup. She was never allowed to attend meetings with her father, let alone court cases. He only heard undecided or treasonous cases, so it wasn't exactly a time to teach anybody without trusting them not to screw anything up.

Anna smiled. "I'd love to, Papa."

 

* * *

 

Anna skirted around a corner, a deep yawn pushing its way up her throat. She hadn't realized the hour was already so late.

"Still like walkin' around late nights, I see."

Anna spun around. Crow leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets. When she caught his eye, he sauntered towards her. "I thought you'd learnt from your little trip that the night can be dangerous."

Anna straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. "Mr. Quade," she stiffly greeted.

"Now, I'll take that formality bullshit from ya father, but I told ya last time my name's Crow. Don't call me that yellow-bellied  _sir_  name." He stopped a few feet in front of her. Anna stiffened and calculated her escape route. They were in the middle of the hallway, so the only option she really had was to run. And she highly doubted she would be the faster one.

"What do you want?"

Crow laughed. "Straight to the point, I see. There's no need to get defensive, princess. I just have a few questions I wanna ask you. Just a mild curiosity."

Anna scowled, crossing her arms. "Well, then spit it out. I want to go to bed."

"Fiesty." Crow smirked. "Yer father told me you found that  _beast_  dead in the forest, but that's all he deemed to tell me. I'd rather hear the story from the source."

"There's not much to tell. I was walking along, and I found her dead. That's it."

A long silent second stretched between them. "I thought you'd found her still alive. Your father said ya were pretty upset that you watched the monster die right before yer eyes." He narrowed his gaze. "You wouldn't mayhaps be  _mistaken_  now would you, princess?"

Anna felt her blood run cold. "I assure you, sir, I'm not mistaken."

Crow gave her a long stare, milky eyes boring into her head. "Hm. I'm quite impressed by the way, lass. Bein' able to survive in those bloody mountains by yourself was quite a feat. Most grown men can't make it more than a night without nature claiming them."

"I wasn't alone. I found a merchant who helped—"

"Yes, that Markus lad. I know a man by the same name. I believe his boy would be a few years old now." Crow stared her down, pinning her like a tack holding a butterfly to a tray. A cold sweat perspired on her brow, and it took all of her willpower to resist squirming under his scrutiny. "Ya must have been pretty high up in the mountains to find that ice demon. With all the dangers up there, I'm surprised that a pampered princess such as yerself managed the two day journey down to the main roads to meet yer merchant friend."

Anna swallowed hard. "I-I was lucky, I suppose."

"Lucky indeed."

Anna turned away from the towering bounty hunter, eager to retreat. "I ugh…I have to go."

"But what I'm most surprised about...," he loudly drawled after her retreating form. "...is that yer  _sad_  about the beast bein' dead. I would've thought you and yer father would've thrown a party er somethin' considering what she's done."

Anna paused, his words stoking her curiosity. She turned around. "What are you talking about?"

Crow looked genuinely surprised. "Are ya serious?" When she didn't dissolve her curiosity, his face twisted into a yellow smirk. "Oh, now this is priceless. Yer father kept it a secret from ya, didn't he? I should've expected as much. Never trust that man, I say."

Anna took a step forward. She had been wondering for the longest time the true nature of Elsa's crime, but she never had the courage to come upfront and ask the blonde. But the way Crow flaunted the information like a child keeping away a toy made a hand of uncertainty try to drag her away. "What are you trying to say? What did my father not tell me?"

"About all about the people that bitch slaughtered."

Anna hardened her gaze, refusing to let the bounty hunter seduce her into thinking that the blonde did what she did out of blood lust. She knew Elsa had protected herself in the past, often by any means necessary. She had no other choice. But she  _never_  exacted her revenge on innocent people, and she most certainly would never hurt someone who never did her harm.

"Who?" she quirked, willing to play Crow's game of guess. Though she made sure to look as uninterested as possible. "Who all did she kill?"

"You really don't know?" Crow asked with a cocky twist in his words. "Go on, lass. Take a wild guess."

"I don't like guessing."

"Tough crowd. Well it's probably not my place to be tellin' ya this, but I don't like seeing people flounder in lies." Crows's expression unexpectedly sobered. "That monster killed many people.  _Good_  people...But of all the souls she stole, the only one I think you would care about would be your mother."

Anna felt her chest cave it like it was made of glass. Her hands fell limply, and her knees threatened to buckle.

Crow curiously looked at her. "I'm sorry, lass. Truly, I am. He—“

Anna couldn't catch her breath. Crow was still talking, but his words were muffled like he was speaking through water. The beginnings of what felt like panic crept at the corners of her mind.

She shoved past him, ignoring his questions of concern. Hallways and paintings passed by her in a teary blur as she sprinted through the hall, not caring who she might run into.

The soldiers guarding the doors to the castle courtyard jumped when the doors slammed open, their redheaded princess pelting past them. It took them a moment to recover from their surprise before they hollered after her.

Anna ignored them. She yanked open the stable door, startling the blonde knight and reindeer inside.

Kristoff dropped the brush he was using on Sven's side. "Anna?" Tears streamed down the redhead's face, her breaths coming short and almost wheezing. He ran to her side and held her shoulders in an attempt to calm her. "Anna, what's wrong?"

Anna shoved him away. Before Kristoff could process what was happening, he heard Sven bleat and run past him, Anna holding fast to his reins as she spured him onward. "Anna!" The soldiers at the face of the castle ran up to him.

"Ser Kristoff, what in the world is going on?"

Kristoff stared after Anna's retreating form. "I don't know."

"What do we do, ser?"

Kristoff gave the two men a glance before jogging to a neighboring stall and saddling up a black mare. "I'm going after her. If I'm not back in ten minutes, tell the king that Anna's upset and ran off but not to worry. I'll bring her back."

Before the men could respond, Kristoff jumped on the mare's back and dug his heels into its sides. He didn't know exactly what was going on with his redheaded friend, but he did know one thing for sure.

She was  _furious._

 

* * *

 

Elsa was shoveling snow around her cave when she heard what she believed was a horse. It was a little gruff for a neigh, but it sounded similar nonetheless. For a frightening moment she was prepared to run before she caught Anna's scent coming across the snowy field.

"Anna?" When she saw the hot tears racing down Anna's face, she sprung to her feet and raced to the redhead's side. "What's wro—"

_SLAP!_

Elsa reeled from the sudden contact with her cheek. She tenderly touched the stinging skin, looking down at Anna in disbelief. The princess glared at her with narrowed teal eyes, her whole body shaking. "A-Anna—"

"How  _dare_  you," she snarled through gritted teeth. "I  _trusted_  you. I trusted you and you kept this from me the entire time."

Elsa flinched from the venom in her words. "What are you talking about?"

"You  ** _killed_**  my  _mother_!"

Elsa's eyes widened. "What? I didn't—"

"I don't want to hear it!" she screamed. She leaned in close to the blonde, fury snapping around her like static. "Just go away! Just go away and never come back!"

Anna turned on her heel and marched away. Elsa stood in shock before racing to catch up to her. "Anna, wait! I didn't do it!"

The redhead spun around. "Don't take another step. Don't you take another fucking step," she seethed, her voice shaking. "I want you gone. If you're still here tomorrow, I swear I'll tell my father to go after you. I'll tell him all of your little hideouts."

Elsa felt her throat run dry, Anna's words smacking her with the steely chill of a punch to the gut. "You…You don't mean that…" she stepped towards the redhead, desperately reaching out to her. "Anna, y-you don't mean—"

Anna pulled away before she could touch her. _"Get away from me!"_ she screamed. "Get away from me you…you  _monster_ _!_ "

Elsa watched in painful shock as the redhead continued her storm towards the exit. "Anna!" she called, chasing after her. "Anna, listen to me!"

"I'm not listening to  _anything_  you have to say! You lost that right!"

Elsa growled, grabbing Anna's arms and pinning her against the nearest tree. The princess clawed her, screaming profanities and kicking to injure. Elsa's bubbling panic made her immune to the mild pain even when she drew blood on her arm.

"No! You are listening to me whether you like it or not!" Elsa yelled, shaking her. Anna seemed to ignore her, continuing to scream and flail.

"Anna, I didn't do it! I didn't do it, I swear! I know the people I've hurt! I see their faces every day in my nightmares, I feel their blood, I hear their screams…" Tears gathered at the edge of Elsa's vision, and a lump caught in her throat. "But, Anna, I did NOT touch your mother!"

Anna continued to bawl, her struggles either tiring her out or her will to hurt her dying off with her anger.

Elsa forced her arms around her, pulling her into a hug and burying her face into her shoulder. "I love you, Anna. Please believe me," she choked.

Anna gritted her teeth, her mind finally calming from its grief-induced rampage. Tears ran warm down her face, now from regret rather than anger. After a shaky moment of hesitation, she circled her arms around the blonde, the taller woman tightening her grip when she did so.

Anna buried her face in Elsa's shirt. "I'm sorry, E-Elsa," she sobbed. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I’m so s-sorry…"

"It's okay," Elsa softly said, her frantic heart beginning to slow down. "I understand…You loved her very much."

They stood wrapped in each other's arms for what felt like a small eternity as sobs shook away.

Neither of them noticed when a horse whinnied at the entrance of the cove, a certain blonde knight running through the small cave and into the snowy field. He paused for only a second when he saw the two women before he remembered why he was out there.

"Anna!" he called, making the pair look at him. "You have to get back to the castle,  _now_. Your father's going to send out a search party if you're not back soon. The whole place saw you storm out."

Anna reluctantly pulled out of Elsa's arms. She cupped the blonde's face, a steaming hot pit of guilt consuming her when she felt the heat of her slap radiating from her cheek. "Elsa—"

"I'm fine," she said, cutting her off with a smile. "You have nothing to apologize for. I would have done the same thing." She glanced away, uneasily shifting her feet. "But…But you do deserve to know. About what I did. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I just didn't know how to say it. I would tell you now, but I don't think you have the time…" she said, glancing at Kristoff impatiently pacing at the cave exit. "But tomorrow. I'll tell you everything tomorrow. I promise."

Anna gave a small smile. "Till tomorrow then." She gently pulled Elsa down, giving her a soft kiss. "I love you too, by the way."

Anna lightly laughed at Elsa's blush. It felt weird to say the three words, but it just felt…right.

" _Anna_ ," Kristoff prompted, rolling his arm towards the exit.

With a last glance at her blonde, Anna walked to Kristoff's side, allowing him to lead her out of the cove to where their steeds waited for them.

As they rode away, Anna felt her spirits brighten. The pain of remembering her mother's death was devastating, but the relief of having Elsa not being her killer was more than enough to drive away her grief.

 _But if there really was ice involved, then it had to be Elsa's mom_ , she sadly thought. It hurt her to think that the blonde would have her memory of her mother tarnished by the new knowledge.

She physically shook off the idea, a real shiver shaking her body. Charging off on a snowy winter night in a slip of a dress wasn't exactly the best idea.

A snowflake landed flat against her forehead as they continued their gallop. A fresh snow was just beginning to fall.

The two kept a fast pace, not looking back. Though in hindsight, looking back would have been a good idea. Or trying to cover their tracks in the snow.

Maybe then the following days wouldn't have been so bad.

 

* * *

 

The sound of crunching snow woke Elsa up.

A fresh layer of powder laid over the cove, gentle snowflakes continuing to fall. The river calmly splattered, and the wind was all but dead.

Elsa tensed. Something wasn't right.

She unwrapped herself from Anna's pillow and crept out of her cave. She stayed to the rim of the rocks and trees, making sure her back was covered. Her ears twitched as she stalked around the oak tree near her cave. Her enhanced senses found nothing out of the ordinary as she scanned the area, but her instincts had her completely on edge.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when an arrow struck the ground by her feet. Her mind cursed her distraction before her body could react, but she was too late.

The branches above her rustled and cracked before a weight tackled her from above. Hands grabbed at her clothes and hair. Her body finally kicked in, and she fought her attacker as they tumbled. The feeling of cold metal snapping around her neck shot a bolt of cold terror down her spine, and she threw her assailant off her with a kick to the gut.

She scrambled in the snow for a second and shot to her feet. In the short time she was locked with her attacker, she had been surrounded by several armored men wielding crude weapons, appearing like detailed silhouettes in the moonlight. She spun in a circle, the helplessness of having her back exposed making her panic.

Focusing her magic, she blew a small path between the men in front of her, sprinting towards the exit like her life depended on it.

Which it did.

She skidded to a stop when more men poured out of the cave, their numbers plugging the escape route.

Elsa felt her heart fall to her stomach. She was trapped.

The men quickly charged her, weapons flying. She used her magic as best as she could, but there were only so many that she could hold off at one time.

Her breath soon came in short wheezes, her muscles burning. Her slowing movements didn't go unnoticed by her attackers. They just pressed her harder, gaining ground on the circle of defense Elsa had managed to make around herself.

Elsa's eyes widened in horror when a pitiful sprinkle of snowflakes trickled from her palm when she tried to summon her magic. She tried again and again, trying to ignite her power like a dead match, but nothing was happening.

The men rushed her, yelling and hollering like soldiers running into battle. She managed to fight off the two men closest to her, but the third bloodied her lip with a right hook and the forth crippled her with a kick.

One of the men tackled her. She wheezed as she was slammed face-first into the snow, the man who tackled her kneeling on her back and pressing a hand on her head to keep her from getting up. Frantic, she tried clawing and kicking at him, but more bodies appeared to pin her arms and legs.

Cold metal snapped around her ankles, a short chain between them keeping her from moving them too far apart. Elsa cried out as her wrists were painfully wrenched behind her back and strapped in thick manacles.

Guttural laughter and sharp whistling rang mocking in the air as she was dragged to her feet. She desperately struggled to escape, but her futile tugging did nothing against the strong grip on her arms. Panic boiled through her blood as the thought of being trapped settled over her mind, and she flailed harder. The manacles at her ankles bit into her skin when her kicking yanked the short chain between them, and she coughed and wheezed when trying to shape-shift strangled her.

"Now now, you know better than trying to turn into that beast of yer's with that collar on, missy." Elsa froze at the scratchy baritone of an all too familiar voice. "Funny how a little band of metal can stop ya, isn't it?"

The ebony-haired man sneered. He grabbed her jaw and strained her neck to look at him, nails digging into her cheeks. "Glad ta see you're alive and kicking. I was a little sad when I was told you were dead. Hate to not be able to return a favor," Crow growled.

Elsa glanced at the scars on his face. She flinched in his grasp when the cold tip of a knife danced over her cheek. "But now that yer back…" The blade dug hard and fast into her cheek. She let out a soft scream before biting her tongue, refusing to let him hear her pain.

He slowly dragged the knife from under her eye to her jawline. Warm blood freely ran from the open wound and over his knuckles. "There." He flicked the knife to the side, crimson droplets staining the snow. "Now yer perfect."

Elsa tried tugging away from him, but he held her fast. He smirked. "Hot-tempered as ever, I see. How in the seven hells you managed to convince that princess to hide you is beyond me. Oh-ho Agdar's gonna have a field day with her."

Elsa bit his hand, her canines piercing deep into his skin. _"Dammit!"_ he pulled away and cradled his hand. The men holding Elsa's arms tightened their grip, the blonde glaring and growling.

Crow snarled and drove his fist into the side of her face. Her head snapped back and she saw white, her ears ringing. "Someone get a muzzle on this damn animal!"

Hands grabbed Elsa's hair and yanked her head back. A hard leather mask was shoved over her mouth and nose and tightly strapped behind her head. She struggled in panic for a minute before she realized there were holes to breathe.

"Knock the bitch out and get ready to head back. Agdar's gonna have a little surprise in the mornin'."

Elsa watched Crow saunter away, a sharp pain to the back of her head being the last thing she felt before the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Hope ya enjoyed! **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	17. Prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Yea spring break **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Anna yawned for what felt like the millionth time that morning, barely resisting the urge to slouch on her throne. The ancient chairs weren't exactly comfortable. But of course her father wasn't affected by the discomfort.

The case they were hearing had something to do with a man's dogs attacking a farmer's hogs. She lost track of the conversation a few minutes in. The farmer was a portly bald man and the defendant a brawny lumberjack-type. They both went red in the face as they screamed their cases.

"If you ask me, I think Sloan can do with a few less hogs on his table," Hans mumbled in her ear. Anna choked down her laugh. Said farmer's chins flapped with every mad rush of his jaw, his bulging gut bouncing sporadically.

The Southern Isles prince wasn't initially expected to join them that morning. But when she saw him moping around the hallway (probably because she'd been avoiding him for the past week), her guilt compelled her to ask him to join. His face practically glowed at the offer, and he stammered and shuffled at her heels to the throne room like an excited puppy.

Anna leaned to the side to whisper back. "He kindof looks like a hog too if you look at him in the right light. All he needs is some slop and a curly tail and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

Hans' attempt to conceal his laugh came out as a loud snort. His hands snapped to cover his face, and his ears burned bright red when a few of the room’s occupants paused to look at him.

Anna smiled. Even though he knew she didn't love him (or could ever love him, really), Hans didn't treat her any different. He was just as odd and happy as before, like the friendly brother she never had.

However, in the eyes of the law, their engagement still stood. It was an act more than anything, and Hans understood that. He valued their companionship, and if it meant King Agdar could rest easy without an angry council harassing him, he was glad to help.

Hans leaned over to her. "And the other one loo—"

The throne room doors slammed open. The soldiers at its threshold jumped back, hurrying to ready their weapons. The councilmen, advisers, and other persons of importance milling about the room scrambled away from their drawn swords.

King Agdar stood. Anna felt Kristoff's gauntlet grasp her shoulder and saw his sword swivel in front of her to fend off a possible attacker.

"Good mornin', ya Majesty!" Crow's familiar voice echoed around the room in a triumphant boom. A few sneering men grouped into the room in front of their giant employer. "I've got a little surprise fer ya!" The rattling of chains sharply clanked as he lumbered through his men.

Anna shot out of her seat, nearly catapulting herself down the steps of the dais. The color drained from her face when Crow revealed Elsa being dragged at his side. The blonde stumbled to keep up with his strides since she couldn't take half a normal step with her ankles chained together. Crow's grip on the back of her tunic was the only thing that kept her from falling on her face as he dragged her forward.

To say Elsa looked terrible was a criminal understatement. Blood and dirt caked her face, and ripe bruises molted her skin an abusive green shade. She was all but wheezing for breath through the small slits in her muzzle. Her French braid that she loved so much was matted and torn apart.

Crow stopped in front of the throne where Sloan and the other man had long since fled from. He sneered at Elsa, roughly shaking her. "Don't ya know it's disrespectful not to bow before yer king?"

He punched Elsa in the stomach. The blonde bent over, a morbid hacking sound coming from her as her body curled in on itself in a vain defense. A kick to the back of her legs sent her to her knees, and a boot stomping between her shoulders pinned her torso to the ground.

King Agdar was the first to act. "What is the meaning of this, Mr. Quade? You can't just barge in—"

"I think you'll find it in ya heart to forgive me, Agdar," he interrupted. "I got a little excited, is all. Besides, it was  _yer_  orders for me ta bring ya the beast dead or alive as soon as I got my hands on her."

The monarch blinked, his brow furrowing. "Bring me the…" He pointed at Elsa. "You mean...this is  _it_?"

"Aye."

"But she was…" He shook his head. "She's supposed to be dead."

"Not quite, Your Majesty. Sorry ta say it, but yer daughter lied. ‘S been hiding the beast the whole time. And in yer own backyard, no less. I couldn't believe it meself when I first saw it. Stig!" One of the men tossed him a chuck of ice. He contemplated it for a long second before throwing it to the king's feet. "There's some proof for ya. It's the ice demon, alright. If you don't believe me, I can bring ya to where we found 'er last night." Crow glared down at Elsa. "She put up quite the fight, so her ice should still be there." He pressed his foot harder, savoring her whimper.

Anna ran forward, her shock-induced cowardice vanishing like a lifted curtain. " _GET OFF OF HER YOU BASTA—_!"

Someone yanked her back, throwing her into a familiar pair of armored hands. Kristoff kept a loose grip on the princess and looked to his king questioningly.

"Hold her," he snarled in a dangerously low voice. His suddenly furious eyes flashed betrayal when he glanced to the redhead before returning his attention to the bounty hunter. He ignored Anna's screams as she madly struggled in Kristoff's reluctant yet unyielding arms.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. She shakily raised her head, glaring daggers at the king.

The pressure on her shoulders left only to be replaced by a kick to her ribs that wheezed the breath out of her. The force of the blow sent her to the feet of Crow's men. Hands grabbed her hair and dragged her to her feet.

" _Stop it!_  You're hurting her!" Anna screamed. She accidentally kicked Hans in her struggles, but she paid him no mind. "Kristoff, make them  _stop_!"

King Agdar whipped his head towards them. "Kristoff? Can't I trust  _anyone_  anymore?!"

"Papa, I'm  _begging_  you, please, just let her go!"

Her father stomped towards her. "Do you have  _any_  idea what she's done?! What she did to your  _mother_?!"

Tears stung the edge of her vision, molten steams threatening to pour down her face. "Elsa didn't kill mom! Please, I can explain everything!"

He laughed. "Oh, well, my mistake. I must have set the bounty on the wrong _ice-wielder_!"

"But she didn't do it! Her mother did!"

The king turned away. "Then she will pay for her crimes."

"You would sentence her to death for a crime she didn't commit?!" Anna rebuked. "At least let her stand trial! I can prove she's innocent!"

" _It_  doesn't deserve a trial. You don't see cattle coming to me for justice because a farmer butchered their family."

"Elsa isn't an animal!"

"It's a murdering beast and will be put down!"

**_"But I love her!"_ **

King Agdar reeled back from the statement as if it were a physical blow. The whole room seemed to quiet, all in shock except for Crow who sneered in amusement at the new development.

Elsa whined.  _Anna…_

The king stood deathly silent. His fists turned white, and he practically shook with barely restrained anger. Furious teal glared down at identical pleading eyes.

He tore his gaze away. "Mr. Quade, you will help see to it that this monster is properly secured in the dungeons. She will hang tomorrow morning for her crimes against the crown."

Anna renewed her struggles. "NO!" She helplessly watched as Elsa was pushed and pulled out of the throne room. The blonde managed a glance her way before she was shoved through the doors and into the hallway.

"Ser Thomas." A knight lingering at the king's side saluted to attention. "You will escort my daughter to her room and ensure she stays there until she decides to come to her senses and snap out of whatever idiotic delusion she has submitted herself to."

The remaining orders being given turned to mush against Anna's ears. There was a touch on her arms, and she vaguely felt herself being pulled away. Whatever else she wanted to say locked in a large knot in her throat.

 

* * *

 

Anna curled up on her bed, hard sobs racking her small frame. She gave up trying to force her way out of her room a long time ago. It was locked from the outside, and she guessed that Thomas was standing guard.

_This is all my fault. I led them right to her. Elsa's gonna die, and it's all my fault…_

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the door creak open and lock closed again. She looked up, surprised to see Hans shyly standing at the door.

Anna wiped her wet face. "Hans?"

The prince stepped towards her bed. "Hey…Anna."

The two stared at each other for a long second before Anna looked away with a scowl. "Did my father send you?"

Hans shook his head. "No." He fiddled with his cufflink. "I…I was worried about you. You were pretty upset…" His voice trailed off, and when he looked up, he found Anna burying her face into her knees.

He sighed. Careful not to jostle her too much, he climbed into bed next to her. He sat there for a long moment, twiddling his thumbs while Anna sobbed into her dress. When he finally decided to do something, he reached an arm behind her back and patted her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"Are you guys friends?"

Anna lifted her head. She stared at him until she figured out that he was talking about her and Elsa. The thought of the blonde made her heart contract painfully, and she almost renewed her cries. "Y-Yeah. Something like that."

Hans nodded. "Is she ugh…Is she nice?"

Anna hollowly laughed. The sound was especially eerie coming from the normally light-hearted girl. "Why do you want to know?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Didn't you hear? She's a monster."

"You don't think so."

"It doesn't matter what I think…" She rolled her head against the headboard. "No one's going to listen to me. Elsa's going to die tomorrow, and it's all my fault."

Hans gave Anna a concerned look before he sighed. "Anna, I don't know what's going on, but I do know we can fix this. Your friend is innocent."

She looked at him through glazed eyes and sniffled. "How do you know that?"

"Because I believe you. Your friend needs to be given a chance." The prince looked away, a solemn expression down-casting his face. "Believe it or not, I was once in the same situation."

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Years ago, my brother Erling—he's fourth out of the thirteen of us—was accused of my parents' murder. The blood was on his clothes, he had no alibi…" Hans cleared his throat. "He was my best friend. Anders and the others all ignored me. I was the runt, I suppose.”

He shook his head. "Anyways, Erling was tried and hung for our parents' murder within the week that he was accused. It wasn't until after we buried him that we figured out it had been an outside job. He was set up."

Anna stifled her tears. She leaned back against the headboard and didn't move away when she felt Hans' arm wrap around her shoulders.

"I guess we're similar that way, best friends accused for a parent's murder," he said. He looked down at her. "But back to the point. Tell me the whole story. I might not be able to do much, but if I can do a little bit to help prove your friend is innocent, then I'll be happy to lend a hand."

An hour or so melted by as Anna told him about Elsa, making special note to exclude the more intimate details of their relationship. Hans absorbed the information like a sponge, the occasional nod of his head telling her that he was still listening.

Anna found herself smiling as she recalled some of their fonder memories. The terror of their first meeting, the awkwardness of getting to know each other, the rush of escaping danger together…

…the heartache of learning about each other.

By the time she was done talking, her tears were dry. Though coming out of a stroll down memory lane into a painful reality quickly changed that.

Hans said nothing for a long minute. For a terrifying second, Anna thought he would leave.

"I think I have an idea…" Hans stood up, holding his chin in his hand. "Let me talk to your father. He's pretty angry with you at the moment, but I think I can talk some sense out of him. At least make him a little more open to giving Elsa a trial. I can't make any promises, though."

Anna scrambled off her bed and gave Hans a hug. "Thank you, Hans. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Hans smiled and reciprocated the hug. "No problem."

The two pulled away. "Another thing…," Hans looked at the door before lowering his voice. "…I think I can get you out of here."

Anna's eyes widened. "Really—!" Hans quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

She had tried various ways to escape, but all her failed attempts did was add more guards to her door. She even thought about climbing out from her balcony, but there was no way for her to re-enter the castle and get to the dungeons without being seen.

He smirked. "Well, if you're going to yell, this won't work, so I suggest you knock it down a few octaves." Anna fervently nodded against his hand, and he let go of her. "I can prop the door open and distract Thomas and them for a few seconds. You'll have to run. It's not exactly an eloquent escape plan, but when are they ever, right?"

Anna smiled, nodding her head.

"I'll find you later to tell you how things went with your father," he whispered before clearing his throat. "Now follow my lead."

The two walked to the door, pausing only for a second to exchange a shared glance before Hans stepped outside. The door was left cracked open.

"How is her Highness, my lord?"

Anna heard Hans sigh. "I don't know what to do, Ser Thomas. I tried to help, but the princess was pretty distraught. Personally, I just hope this whole thing is over and done with quickly so things can get back to normal."

"Me too, sir. I've never seen her so—GAH!"

Anna peeked open the door, finding Hans and the knight sprawled in a tangle of limbs on the floor.

"My deepest apologies, Ser Thomas," Hans grunted as he slowly got off the knight. "Sitting down for so long must have made my legs a little wobbly." He winked at Anna and shooed her with his hand. The princess smiled and took off down the hall, not looking back.

 

* * *

 

"As your princess, I order you to let me in!"

One of the four guards in front of her sighed. "For the eighth time, Your Highness, I'm sorry, but we cannot let you in the dungeons. It's His Majesty's orders."

Anna gritted her teeth. She had to get to Elsa to see that she was alright. At least, not as bad as her anxious mind thought she was.

The short princess stood on her toes and leaned close to the guard's face. "Now listen here, you pompous, square-nosed assho—"

"Is there a problem here?"

They all turned towards Kristoff's stern voice. The blonde knight crossed his arms, looking more serious than Anna had ever seen.

"Ser Kristoff." The guards all saluted. As royal bodyguard, Kristoff's position made him equal to captain of the guard, their heavy superior. "There is no problem here, ser. I was just telling the princess why she couldn't see the prisoner, ser."

Kristoff cocked an eyebrow. "And what reason might that be?"

"His Majesty's orders, ser. He said not to let anyone near the prisoner, ser."

Kristoff slowly walked in front of the guard, his broad body easily overshadowing him. Anna gave him credit for not trembling like most other men would have. "Are you saying that your princess is  _anyone_ _?_ " he said in a low tone.

The guard shrunk back. "N-No, ser. I just—"

"Then it should be no problem to let her through, yes?" Kristoff narrowed his eyes.

The guard swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to speak, but when no sound came out, he just nodded. He shoved the larger guard to his right and unlocked the heavy wooden door.

Kristoff smiled. "Thank you. Now if you would excuse us…" He nodded his head to Anna to go through the door. "…the princess would like to see the prisoner. But I’ll keep an eye on her. She shouldn't be around that monster for too long, anyways."

Anna shot Kristoff a small glare as the door was shut and locked behind them. It was hard to see in the dim light of the dungeons, but she was able to see him shrug innocently.

"Thanks, Kristoff. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. Now, get going. I was serious about only having a few minutes. I have my orders as well, ya know."

The two quickly made their way down the stone stairs. Kristoff grabbed one of the lanterns hanging on the walls so they weren't completely blind when they made it to the bottom.

Anna shuddered. She never did like this place. She had read enough in her history lessons to know that more death and suffering took place down here than during most wars. Like most of its neighbors, Arendelle hadn't always been a nice country.

They wove between hallways and through a few more doors before they made it to a thick iron door guarded by four of Arendelle's finest. They saluted when they approached. Thankfully, it didn't take as much teeth-pulling to get past them as it was with the first line of guards. As long as Kristoff was with her and she was only in for a little while, they let her pass.

Anna shot through the cell door as soon as it opened, but when she saw Elsa, she paused.

The blonde was shackled at the far end of the narrow room, her arms suspended up and away from her to either wall. She was forced to sit on her knees, her ankles chained to the floor. She lifted her head and looked at the newcomers through messy bangs. Her eyes widened when she saw the redhead, and she muffled something through her muzzle.

"Elsa!" Anna ran forward and fell to her knees in front of the blonde. She practically ripped the muzzle off Elsa's face before throwing her arms around her. Elsa tugged at her chains when she instinctively tried to return the embrace, but she settled with burying her bloody face in the crook of Anna's neck.

Anna pulled back, holding the blonde's face. She brushed away crusted blood and repositioned one of her hands to avoid irritating the open wound running down her cheek. Her calm demeanor from before broke like shattered glass. She gasped as her mouth tried to form words, and tears immediately began raining down her face again.

Elsa's eyes softened. "Hey," she gently said. She turned her head so she could kiss Anna's palm. "Don't cry, Anna. Please don't cry."

Anna hiccupped. "I'm so s-sorry. I-It's all my fault, Elsa."

Elsa gave her a small smile. "It's not your fault." She glanced away. "It…It was inevitable, I suppose. Things were too good to be true."

Anna shook her head. She leaned her forehead against Elsa's, her salty tears dripping onto her face and mixing with her blood.

"Anna?" Anna sniffled, swallowing down a lump that would have made her break down in hysterics. She felt Elsa tilt her head down. "Anna, look at me." The redhead reluctantly did. Seeing Elsa's friendly face and loving gaze made her lip shake harder.

"Anna, you have to promise me that you won't come tomorrow," she said in a whisper-like voice. "Promise me. I don't want you to see—"

"No," Anna croaked. She shook her head. "N-No. There's not gonna be anything tomorrow. I'm getting y-you out of here. I'll get you out of here, and we can run away to the Northern Mountains. I don't know that many skills, b-but I can learn. We'll build our own place right on the river. You can catch fish for us, and I can…well, I-I don't know what I'll do, but I'll figure something out. You still have to teach me how to swim, remember?" She pained a watery smile. "You promised you'd teach m-me."

Elsa closed her eyes, leaning against Anna's palm. She tried to make a purr to calm the redhead, but she couldn't even fake it.

_We both know that's not going to happen._

"Anna, please don't cry," she softly said. "Please smile. You look so much better when you smile."

_I want to remember you happy._

Watery teal stared into arctic blue. Through a torrent of tears, Anna struggled to pull her quivering lips into a crooked smile. A rough knock and gruff command from the door announced that their time was almost up.

Elsa grinned. She strained her neck forward to give Anna a soft kiss, trying to convey through feeling what she couldn't completely say in words. Anna was unresponsive, simply savoring the sensation.

Elsa pulled away. "I love you," she said, though it sounded more like good-bye.

Anna felt her heart break. "I l-lo…l-love you too," she stuttered. She ducked her head to give Elsa one final kiss before her sanity left her completely.

The door opened behind them, a guard stepping in impatiently.

Their time was up.

Anna took a deep breath as their lips left each other. She bolted before one of the soldiers could grab her arm to drag her out. The other guards outside held open the iron door as she pelted past them, tears and loud sobs echoing in her wake.

Kristoff looked at Elsa. The blonde deflated as soon as Anna left. All the sadness and despair that he was surprised not to see when they first entered the room cracked through her happy mask.

He looked away. He silently picked up the muzzle and knelt in front of her to put it back on, wishing with every fiber in his being that this was all just some cruel nightmare.

"Kristoff."

The blonde man paused. He looked down at Elsa's pleading blue eyes.

"Look after her. Please…for me."

Kristoff said nothing. He pulled the muzzled over her mouth and nose, his hands skimming her collar as he loosely locked it behind her head. He didn't look back when he made for the door, the metal slamming behind him in a hollow clang.

 

* * *

 

Anna strode through the hallway. Her chest ached heavily, but she couldn't cry anymore. Her tears were all dried up.

She turned the corner to her father's study. She was determined to talk some sense into him. Elsa didn't deserve to die. Hopefully Hans was making some sort of headway with the stubborn king.

Anna didn't knock. She swung the double-doors open, mouth open and ready to rant.

"Grab her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Very writing. Much tired. I think a small part of me died. **
> 
> ** Hope ya enjoyed. Goodnight **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	18. Old Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Happy reading... **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Elsa turned her neck, trying and failing to get rid of the painful kink that formed from the tension on her arms. Her legs felt numb. She swallowed dryly, her throat bobbing against the metal collar wrapped tightly around her neck.

She had always imagined her death to be a swift one. Sitting—kneeling more like—and waiting for her inevitable demise was worse than any slow death she could think of.

But she always did know she would die young. She never admitted it—never said it out loud or anything—the thought was simply understood. She would be careless one day when dodging an arrow. She would be too slow to avoid Crow's men. She would overestimate herself like she always did and deliver herself to her own deathbed.

It seems like the latter got her.

As did a certain redhead.

Elsa laughed hollowly, an image of Anna's smile brightening her dark thoughts. She hadn't started living until she met the princess. Before her, she was simply surviving, simply existing.

But Anna…Anna was life.

Her smile.

Her eyes.

Her voice.

Her laugh.

Her love.

Her warmth.

_Her._

As long as there was Anna, nothing else mattered.

 _It's probably all for the best_ , she thought numbly.  _I could never—_

A loud clang and stumble from outside her cell made Elsa lift her head. She strained to hear the guards outside muttering to each other. It sounded like they were drawing straws to decide who would leave to check out the noise when their voices hushed at the sound of approaching footsteps.

 _Gods dammit._  Elsa rubbed the side of her head against her shoulder to shimmy her muzzle down so she could hear better.

One of the guards sounded angry. "—re you doing here s—"

_Clang._

_Thump._

"Sorry!"

There was a sound of metal striking metal. Grunts of pain knocked against her cell door.

_Thump._

"Sorry!"

_Thump._

"I am  _so_  sorry!"

Elsa cocked an eyebrow when the sounds outside stilled. A jingle of metal chimed for a handful of seconds before growing silent again. She tensed when she heard a key being shimmied into the lock and opening the door in a heavy groan.

The appearance of a certain blonde knight in full armor and drawn sword nearly made her eyes bulge out of her head. "Mrshhtoff?"

Kristoff sheathed his surprisingly clean blade. "G'evening, Ice Block," he sing-songed. He strode towards her, twirling a ring of keys around his index finger.

Elsa gawked in utter shock as the man made quick work of her shackles and chains. She teetered on her side when the tension was suddenly lifted from her arms. It felt like she was floating, and her limbs tingled as blood rushed back to her extremities.

She scrambled to get up and stand on shaky legs, looking like a drunkard trying to find their footing. She tore her muzzle off. Except for the collar still around her throat, Elsa was a free woman once again.

Kristoff barely had time to protect his face when Elsa threw the muzzle at him. "You  _idiot_!" she yelled. "Have you gone mad?! What the  _hell_ do you think you're doing?!"

The blonde knight balked. "Well, gee, a simple 'thank you' would have been just fine for  _saving your life_."

Elsa strode up to him. The slight wobble in her stride did nothing to make her appear less terrifying than he knew her to be. She glared up at him, a growl shuddering out of her throat. "I didn't ask to be saved!"

"Did you want to die?"

"NO!" She smacked him upside the head. "I'm thinking about Anna, you dolt! When her father sees I tried to escape, who knows what he'll do to me? She almost had a panic attack seeing me chained up! There's no telling what she'll do if she sees me tied to a whipping post!"

Kristoff stared at her for a long second. The blonde in front of him continued to growl, breathing through her nose like a bull about to charge.

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? But…I was thinking about Anna, too. I've never seen her break down like that before." His gaze hardened. "But if you think for one second that  _not_  trying to escape is even remotely close to a good idea, then you've gone completely insane."

"You don't know what you're—"

"Yes,…" Kristoff's scowled. He leaned over her, his body easily overshadowing hers. "…actually, I do. And you're going to do as I say and hightail it out of this castle before I drag you out."

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose. She tried and failed to swallow down her increasing growl. "You don't understand, Kristoff. I can't run. I've been running all my life, and look where it's got me. There will never be an escape. They'll just catch me again. They'll always win. I can't escape this." She looked away. "If I'm going down, I'm not dragging Anna with me, so it's best to just get this over with now. I don't want her to cry over me anymore."

"And you think allowing yourself to be killed will make that happen?" The knight threw his hands in the air. "Are you  _blind_ , woman?! Anna  _loves_  you. L-O-V-E-S Y-O-U."

"I know. I love her to—"

" _No_ , you don't!" Kristoff yelled. He jabbed a finger at her chest. "You have no idea what love is if you think running away to...to  _death_  will make Anna happy!"

Elsa flinched at the sudden shade of red his face flushed to. Kristoff stepped back and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Love… _true_  love…is putting someone else's needs before your own." Honey eyes bored into arctic blue. "What you're doing is selfish.  _You_ don't want to see Anna cry, but do you have any idea what she'd feel if you were gone?"

Elsa opened her mouth to argue, but the words died in her throat. She looked away.

"Anna would rather go to bed in tears every night than live—no,  _exist_  in a world without you in it. And if you can't see that, then you don't deserve her."

Elsa sighed. "Kristoff—"

The blonde knight cut her off with a wave of his hand. "If you're not going to say that you're leaving, then just keep your mouth shut. I wasn't kidding about dragging you out of here, big cat or not. You may be her girlfriend, but I'm Anna's best friend. It's my job to make sure she's happy, too."

Elsa gave a small grin. "Thanks Kristoff. I…I'm sorry."

He shrugged, a relieved smile tugging at his lips. "No problem." He glanced at the door. "But now that's out of the way, we seriously do need to run. Like, now. Hopefully nobody noticed the unconscious bodies in the hallway yet. Sven's ready out back. Like it or not, I'm coming with you. Betraying a direct order from my king won't exactly settle well if I stick around."

Elsa chuckled grimly. "Good point. Let's go."

The two dashed out of the dreary cell and through the dungeon’s corridors. Elsa followed fast at Kristoff's heels since she had no idea about the lay of the castle. They jumped over the unconscious guards outside the dungeon doors before taking off down the carpeted hallway.

Elsa growled when her legs already began to burn from running. She was still a little wobbly from earlier. She tugged at her collar, wishing they had the key to get it off. She was much faster in her tiger form.

A thought popped into Elsa's head, and she blushed. Despite the pain in her legs, she dashed up to Kristoff's side, choking down her yelp of surprise when he pulled her against the wall to wait for a group of servants to pass by.

"Kristoff," she whispered. The knight leaned towards her to show that he was listening. "How do you know about all that…w-well…Why did Anna tell you—"

"Anna doesn't have the attention span to keep a diary, so I guess I was the next best thing." He turned to her and winked. "Don't worry. She didn't tell me anything _too_ embarrassing."

Elsa cocked her jaw. "Don't yo—"

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

An ear-piercing scream made both blonde's jump before it was quickly cut off.

Elsa's eyes widened, her stomach flipping.

"Anna!"

 

* * *

 

"Grab her."

Strong hands grabbed Anna's arms and pulled her into her father's study. The door was slammed and locked behind her.

The redhead immediately fought against the hold on her. But a thick arm curling around her waist pinned her flailing arms against her sides, and a calloused hand clamped her mouth shut before she could scream.

"'Ello, saddle gal…," husked a scratchy voice. Anna's eyes widened in horrified recognition. Her captor forced her head back against his chest to expose her throat. The man rubbed his nose over the milky skin and inhaling deeply, shuddering out a lecherous moan.

"That's enough, Morgan. She's still my fiancé."

Anna's furious eyes darted to Hans, trying with all her might to murder him with her glare. He stood beside her father's desk with a dagger held precariously close to his throat. The king’s wrists were tied behind his chair, and a cloth gag clogged his profanities as he struggled madly to get to his daughter.

Four hooded figures stood around them. Anna guessed three of them were Ulfric, Karl, and her other kidnapper since Morgan was adorned in the same attire. She had no idea about the fifth, smaller one, though.

The prince pressed his dagger against her father's jugular until a thin stream of blood trickled down his neck. Agdar paused in his fight against his bonds. He shot Hans a murderous glare, huffing furious breathes through his nose.

"Aren't you glad to see your old friends, Anna?" He chuckled when Anna jerked in Morgan's arms. "They were rather disappointed that you ran away from them. As was I." The sideburned man sighed, feigning exhaustion. "You just had to go and screw everything up, didn't you?"

Anna screamed into Morgan's hand. "As much as I enjoy seeing that cute little snarl of yours, I'd prefer you say what's on your mind rather than try to glare it through my skull. Felix." One of the hooded figures to his right took the knife from Hans' hand and kept it pressed against Agdar's throat in a silent warning. When he saw that Anna understood the implications of the threat, Hans nodded to Morgan to release her mouth.

" _You_  kidnapped me," Anna seethed, careful to keep her voice low when Felix pressed the dagger against her father's throat. "I trusted you, and you kidnapped me, you _bastard_."

"In my defense, you are far too easily trusting." Hans sauntered towards her and grabbed her chin. "I would have been such a good husband to you, too." His eyes turned dark, and she yelped when his grip tightened. "But you just had to find  _her_ …"

Before Anna could stop him, Hans ripped the ribbon from her head, exposing her white lock of hair. The prince combed his fingers through it and laughed. "Oh dear. I knew you shared some sort of strong affection for her, but I didn't think you two were _actually_ in love, especially enough for her to mark you. This is priceless!"

Anna yanked away from him. "What do you know about Elsa?"

"You mean besides everything that you told me? I know a bit. It's such a shame I'll have to kill her. My plan would have worked perfectly if she hadn't saved you. It was so simple—hire a bunch of thugs to kidnap a princess, valiantly search for said princess, bring her home, get married, and become king." He walked around the desk, staring down Agdar's glare. "But now it seems I'll have to use different means…"

Anna glanced between him and her father. "You can't be serious. You and five muscle-brained idiots can't take over Arendelle. Even if you kill us, the people won't allow it. One rebellion and you're crow food in the gallows."

"That's the thing, though. I don't need to kill both of you. Just him." Hans jutted his thumb at the bound king. The prince walked back to her. "And you, my future wife, should not underestimate me. I have more power than you think."

Anna glared up at him. "You kill him, you might as well kill me, too. I'll _never_ marry you. As soon as I'm out of here, I'll—"

"You'll do nothing if you want Elsa to keep her life."

The redhead's eyes widened. "You…You can't do that. That's an empty threat. Don't try to tr—"

Hans smirked. "I'm not lying in the least, princess. The men guarding your lover's cell pay allegiance to me. All I need is to deliver them a signal, and Elsa's head will be rolling across the floor."

Anna's mind reeled. There was no way he was telling the truth. Even if he was, four men should be easy enough to take out with her own guard. Well, if she can assemble them. And she'd have to be away from Hans to do that…

The prince laughed at the conflict playing out in her eyes. "If you don't believe me, then go ahead. Say the word, and Morgan will let you go. You can see by the time you get back to the dungeons if I'm telling the truth or not."

Anna seethed when Hans cocked his head back in a condescending look, as if she were a child. That condescending, arrogant look that she received from snobbish royalty so often just pissed her off when the auburn-haired man made it.

Only Elsa could make that face at her.

Before Anna could even think about the consequences of her actions, she kicked Hans in the shin and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"AAAAAHHHHH—!"

A swift punch to her gut quickly turned her scream into a guttural choke. She wheezed to regain her breath, coughing up what felt like parts of her lungs.

Hans yanked her out of Morgan's arms by her dress collar. Anna could barely feel her feet touching the ground. "What do you think you're doing?!" he roared in her face. "I ca—!"

_CRASH!_

Anna scrambled to protect her face when the double-doors to the study were blown inward, splinters flying. A breeze of frost glazed over her face, and a thunderous growl echoed around the room. The grip on her collar quickly released her.

_Elsa?_

She opened her eyes just in time to see a pale fist collide with Hans' face, sending the sideburned man crashing into her father's desk and snapping the antique apart. She flinched at the sound of crunching bone.

He sat up with a groan, but he was quickly slammed back down when Elsa tackled him. One of her fists dragged him up by the front of his shirt, her other frosting over in a layer of ice.

She bared her teeth in a snarl. "Don't you  _dare_  touch her!" Her icy fist smacked into Hans' face. "Don't you  _ever_  touch her!" She punched him again, blood spraying from his split lip. "You hurt her again, I'll  _kill_  you!" She punched him again.

"Elsa!" The blonde's head snapped up at the sound of her name. Anna swore she saw red swim out of Elsa's eyes, but she didn't have time to contemplate it.

Elsa quickly abandoned the bleeding yet somehow still conscious prince. Castle guards were streaming into the room now, apprehending the hooded men while Kristoff untied their bleeding king. Elsa ignored them, practically jumping into Anna's trembling arms.

Anna buried her face in Elsa's torn shirt, sobbing tears that she thought had run dry. Elsa held her like a lifeline, muttering broken sentences into her ear.

Elsa reluctantly pulled Anna away enough to look her in the eye. "Are you okay, Anna?"

"I'm fine. Y-You're here."

Elsa smiled, kissing away her tears. "Of course I'm here." She pulled Anna closer. "I promised I'd never leave you."

Anna shook her head. "No. No, you need to go. You need to run, Elsa.  _Please_. I don't want to see you get hurt again…"

Elsa looked around the room. Even if she wanted to leave, there were too many guards. She would be killed before she stepped foot outside.

She was trapped again.

She pulled Anna against her chest, tucking her head under her chin. "I'm sorry, Anna…I can't."

Elsa gazed warily around the room while Anna clung to her, waiting for her blonde to be taken away yet again. The guards not apprehending the mercenaries were cautiously dancing around the two of them, swords drawn and unsure of what to do or what to expect from her.

"Wait."

King Agdar was leaning against a soldier, his free hand pressing a pocket cloth to the bleeding wound on his neck. He and Elsa held eye contact for a solid six seconds before he looked to the ground and cleared his throat.

"Arrest Prince Hans and his…his accomplices. Take them to the dungeons."

One of the guards glanced at Elsa. "Sir, what about—"

"Are you questioning your king's order?" Agdar almost snarled.

"N-No, Your Majesty. I would neve—"

"Then I suggest you go about your duties, then." He looked at Anna still clinging to Elsa. "We've all had enough strife for one day."

Hans groaned as he sat up on his elbows. He tenderly rubbed his bleeding and rapidly swelling face, wincing when he pressed too hard.

"It's over, Hans," Anna said. Two guards approached the fallen prince.

Hans laughed darkly and looked at his blood glossing over his fingertips. "Oh, Anna. Things would have been so much easier if you just married me the first time around. Now, it seems I'll have to take this kingdom by force."

Anna stepped forward. "Oh yeah? You and what army?"

Hans’ lip curled into a knowing smirk, and for a split second, Anna was genuinely terrified of the man. His smirk was one of somebody that knew some secret that nobody else knew—like he was part of some inside joke that only he understood.

She hated it when she was right.

Anna got head-rush when the temperature in the room suddenly dropped to freezing. She instinctively tightened her grip around Elsa's warmth. She sucked in a breath, her eyes widening when she saw it came out as an icy puff. Seeing Elsa just as confused as she was didn't make things any better.

She covered her mouth in horror when she looked up. The two guards going to restrain Hans were impaled over thick ice spikes like some grotesque skewer. They sputtered and choked, crimson blood draining out of their mouths until their squirming movements stilled. Their swords clattered to the icy floor.

Hans shakily got to his feet, his face contorted in a crazed grin. Splattered blood from the dead guards stained his scuffed white uniform.

A gasp and scream and shuffle of feet from behind her made Anna turn around. The guards and four of the mercenaries—the four she recognized from her kidnapping—scrambled to get away from the fifth cloaked figure standing unrestrained by the door.

The guard beside them held his mouth open in a silent cry of pain, his eyes wide with terror and his arm reaching for a sword he would be too slow to draw.

He was frozen solid.

The cloaked figure casually tipped the guard over. The ice statue teetered for a second before falling and shattering on the floor.

People were screaming, cowering into the farthest corners of the room. Everything seemed to blur out of focus except for the lone hooded figure by the door.

Hans said something. Or maybe he said nothing at all. Anna was too focused on what was happening in front of her at the moment.

The figure slid off their hood.

Anna gasped. She felt Elsa stiffen around her. The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a squeak.

"Mama?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Oh look. Another cliffhanger. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	19. Skadi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

_It was snowing._

_It was the middle of winter, so the snow was to be expected. It was a small blessing after the seemingly endless storms. Snowflakes floated to the already thick snow blanketing the frozen ground, but that didn't bother the two lying beneath the trees._

_A pale woman wearing rags that had once been clothes curled up against the arching side of an oak tree. She slept peacefully in the snow, her short white hair curling around her neck in a natural blown-back look. For anyone else, the action would have been suicidal, but the cold never bothered her._

_It was a near miracle that she was able to sleep tonight. Her hunger pains normally would have kept her awake, but her exhaustion was thankfully enough to overpower it._

_Something small nudged her arm. The woman sniffled and buried her face deeper in her arms to ignore it and go back to sleep. But the nudges were persistent, and she was forced out of her dreams._

_She raised her head and rubbed her cerulean blue eyes. She looked down at the source of the annoyance and found a trembling furry bundle cuddling against her. "Elsa?" She immediately sat up, concern flaring her motherly instincts. "What's wrong?"_

_The silver tiger cub made a small cry. With her tail tucked between her legs and her ears flat against her head, Elsa crawled into the woman's lap and buried her face against her abdomen._

_The woman smiled, scratching her back. "Another nightmare?"_

_The cub nodded._

_The woman sighed. After repositioning herself so she was leaning against the oak tree, she picked up her daughter from beneath her arms and held her against her shoulder like a normal mother would have done with their child. Elsa's small claws dug into her shirt from the strength of her desperate grip, and her baby-soft fur tickled her mother's neck as she buried her face in the crook of her shoulder._

_The woman's heart clenched painfully. Her daughter was having more nightmares than usual lately. "You wanna build a snowman?" she asked softly. It was always the go-to thing to do. Elsa never wanted to talk about it._

_Non-surprisingly, she nodded._

_Keeping one hand on Elsa's back to support her weight, Elsa's mother flicked and spun her other wrist at the ground in front of them. The swirl of faintly glowing magic caught Elsa's eye and made her turn to look at the performance. Three lumps of snow formed on the ground._

_Elsa was forced to crawl off when her mother stood up, but the frightened cub kept right at her heels until she knelt on the ground next to the lumps._

_"Why don't you put on his middle. I'll do his head." The cub hesitated, looking unsure. She curled closer to her mother who rubbed between her ears. After a few seconds of silence, she eventually did as she was expected and changed back to her child self._

_The woman smiled, though her heart ached when she saw yet again how thin her daughter was. Elsa always shape-shifted when she was scared. She refused to let others see her cry._

_With her mother's help, Elsa managed to pick up the medium sized lump of snow that was almost as big as she was and plop it onto the snowman's base. She sat on her heels and sucked on the collar of her shirt as her mother quickly fitted on the head (It was the best alternative for her since her mother didn't like her sucking her thumb)._

_Elsa's grief stricken yet dry face brightened as they constructed the snowman. Using her own magic, the blonde carefully crafted a few lumpy spheres to use as eyes and buttons. She stuck her tongue out as she worked. She didn't have that great of a grasp on her powers yet._

_She stuck in twigs for a small spurt of hair on its head as a finishing touch. The snowman was lopsided and missing clumps of snow from where tiny hands pressed against it too hard, but it made Elsa smile nonetheless._

_The woman grabbed two nearby sticks and stuck them in its sides. Smiling, she opened the snowman's arms wide. "Hi, I'm Olaf. And I like warm hugs," she playfully slurred._

_Elsa laughed, her round cheeks reaching her eyes. She ran into Olaf's arms. "I love you, Olaf!"_

_Her mother laughed as well, the two of them hugging their snowman as the snowflakes continued to fall around them…_

 

* * *

 

Elsa heard nothing but the erratic pounding of her heartbeat in her temples. She stared at the pale woman by the door. Frost had crawled over the wall and floor, and icy tendrils snaked away and grew into intimidating spikes, two of which had impaled the men in front of the Southern Isles’ prince.

There was no way. She saw her collapse. She didn't get up. She was dead.

But she was here.

"Mama?" she said out of impulse. The woman didn't respond. She stood there like a porcelain statue, her face void of any emotion like she was really as dead as Elsa thought she was. Snowy white hair as free-blown as her own hung heavy and long over her shoulders. Her clothes were a simple gray tunic and pants with no shoes, almost like the uniform of a servant.

Elsa's throat tightened. If she wasn't so shocked, she would have thrown herself into her arms. Her heart screamed at her legs to move, but she didn't—couldn't.

This wasn't the woman she remembered. This wasn't the mother that made her laugh and chased away her nightmares with snowmen. This woman had a different scent. This woman didn't smile.

This woman had blood red eyes.

Elsa's arms fell limply to her sides. "Mama?" she called again. Still no response. Elsa took a step forward, a small smile curling on her trembling lip. "M-Mama…it's me…Elsa…"

Elsa's heart ached from what felt like a literal crack.

"You died…"

She turned to Hans. "She's dead..."

"She looks pretty alive to me." The prince jerked his head in her mother's direction. "Come here, Skadi. Why don't you say hello to your daughter."

Elsa's brow furrowed in a scowl. She never knew her mother's real name—she was too young to know her as anything other than her mother—but she knew that wasn't it.

'Skadi' obediently marched to Hans' side. "That's not her name," Elsa almost growled, her shock morphing into anger.

Hans tried to smirk, but the swelling in his face made his lip crooked. "You're probably right, but I really don't care." He leisurely walked around the red-eyed woman. "I had to pick a name for my pet when I was… _training_  her, and the 'goddess of winter' seemed like a good fit."

Elsa's hands balled into fists, her knuckles going white and her nails biting into her palms. She bared her sharp canines in a snarl. "She is not your _pet_." She glanced at her mother's crimson eyes. "What did you do to her?!"

"Well, technically I can only take half-credit for her comprised state. My brother Erling was the one who caught her. I just made her useful." Hans folded his arms behind his back. "Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Erling found her hunting while he was out for game himself. He always took a kindof sick pleasure in his trophy hunting, so when he saw a human change into an animal, he had to have her. The idiot could care less about her powers.

"He went mad searching for her. He rarely visited the capital, let alone the castle, but when I did see him, he wasn't entirely there. I don't know all the details of how he caught her, but I do know that he took her down with a slow-acting tranquilizer of sorts.” He looked at Anna, the redhead just as shocked at the information as Elsa. "Unfortunately for Arendelle, its Queen happened upon the poisoned monster before he detained her."

King Agdar's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Hans chuckled. "Your wife, of course, couldn’t resist helping the wounded woman when she stumbled into the road. Such a sweet soul she had. Too bad it cost her her life. Erling was already crazed with obsession long before that time, so it was no matter to him to slay the Queen and her entourage when she tried to keep her away from him. Skadi tried to protect  _Her Majesty,_ but as you already know, she failed."

Agdar's face lit with red fury. He charged the prince, but two soldiers held him back. Tears streamed down the king's face, a hot mixture of anger and grief.

Hans continued. "She obviously escaped, and from what I can tell from the story Anna so kindly told me, she collapsed under the tranquilizer’s effects soon after." He sneered at Elsa. "And  _you_  thought she was  _dead_!" he laughed. "Funny how a child simply runs when someone collapses, isn't it? You didn't even bother to check her pulse."

Elsa silenced him with a vicious snarl. "What. Did. You. Do. To. Her."

"Patience, I'm getting there." Hans dismissively waved at her. "When I visited your dungeon earlier today to pay my men a visit, I noticed that it was very similar to the one in the Southern Isles. They're both _empty_. In recent years, both of our nations opted for an external dungeon beyond the castle walls, a jailhouse if you will. So when my brother brought Skadi back to the castle, the dungeons were the perfect private holding cell. My brother kept her a secret for years, but I found her when I was fifteen. Long story short, I needed Erling out of the picture so I could use the power that he was keeping on a shelf. So I framed him, but not until getting the story out of him, that is."

Anna scowled furiously as Hans walked around Skadi, eying her like a prized race horse. "You'd be surprised what a little torture and Stockholm Syndrome can do. I of course say 'little' very loosely."

Elsa growled, the deep sound resonating through the room, but Hans only sneered and stepped towards her. "Tell me, Elsa. Do you ever lose control of yourself? Ever have those moments when you're so terrified for your life that your body just moves on its own?"

Elsa stuttered, her eyes lighting with equal amounts of confusion and understanding. There was pounding and yelling at the frozen door from anxious reinforcements that had heard the earlier scuffle.

Hans put a hand on Skadi's shoulder. "I don't know exactly what fantastic mechanism makes you do that, but I call it an _instinct_ , if you will. And when your mother finally accepted that she would be consistently punished when she disobeyed me, _it_ took over." He smiled insanely, glancing over her blood red eyes. "Now, she's the perfect weapon. And red goes so much better with her hair than blue does, don't you think?"

Elsa stepped forward, her fists glowing with frosty magic. "You son of a bi—!"

The blonde froze when her mother stepped in front of Hans with her hands poised to attack.

Hans shook his head. "Tsk. Tsk. Such language, Elsa. What would your mother think?"

" _Shut up!_ " Elsa screamed. "Change her back!"

"Sorry, but even if I ever wanted to, I'm fairly sure the damage is permanent."

King Agdar struggled against the hold his men had on him. "You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Hans looked at him. "I wasn't the one who killed your wife, Your Majesty. And I wouldn't throw around death threats you won't have the time to keep. Skadi."

On a silent command, Skadi flicked her wrist. Everyone in the room could only helplessly watch as an ice spike drove deep into the king's chest.

" _Papa!_ " Anna cried. Agdar gasped and choked, his mouth open in a silent cry of pain as blood drained into his uniform. The guards holding him quickly lowered him to the ground, Anna falling to her knees at his side.

Elsa tore her gaze away from the redhead to glare at Hans. The prince was still smirking, his face now a keen shade of green and yellow from his earlier beating.

The frozen door was suddenly thrown open. A new flood of soldiers, armored and in uniform, rushed in. When they saw their impaled king, their eyes quickly found the pale woman at Hans' side who had frost growing beneath her feet. With a loyal cry, they charged her, the shattered remains of their frozen comrade crunching under their boots.

The guards already in the room tried to stop them, but it was too late.

Hans looked at them with a bored expression. "Skadi. Stop them."

Instead of impaling the charging men like Elsa expected, her mother shot the ground.

Her jaw dropped open when  _snow golems_  emerged from the blast of magic.

The charging men stuttered to a halt in front of the giants. The two of them roared, ice spiking out of their bodies before they swiped frozen claws at them. Screams split the air with the soft squelch of torn flesh. Blood sprayed onto the golems and dripped from their hands.

Elsa stared in horror, and Hans laughed at her shock. "You have no idea about the true extent of your powers, do you, Elsa?"

Elsa shot Hans a glare that could kill. She glanced in the corner of her eye to make sure Anna was alright. The redhead was staring at the ice monsters, her father's pained face resting in her lap.

"That reminds me…," Hans drawled. " _You_ were the one who ruined my plan. If you had never saved Anna, I would already be married and in direct line to the throne." He looked to her mother. "Skadi. Kill her."

The blonde woman crouched and growled at her daughter. Her skin rippled and stretched into black and silver fur, her body shape-shifting into its animal state. And even though she was younger, Elsa was too slow to dodge when her mother's snow leopard form pounced at her, tackling her and sending them both crashing out the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Painfully short and with a cliffy but the next chapter was just too long so I had to break it up. Worth it, though! **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	20. I Choose You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

The world became a blur of pain as Elsa tumbled down the castle wall. Claws and fangs tore her skin and clothes, her exposed stomach mercilessly raked by Skadi's hind paws. She twisted in the air to push her off, but there wasn’t enough leverage for her to do so.

She grunted when a tumble on stone turned into a roll in the snow, the breath wheezing out of her lungs from the sudden impact. It took only a handful of seconds for her to orientate herself. The blonde used their momentum to swing her legs under the leopard's thickly furred stomach and kick her over her head.

She scrambled to her feet, her posture low and ready to spring a defense if her mother attacked. The snow leopard stalked in front of her with her hackles raised and teeth bared.

Elsa's chest tightened. She couldn't hurt her mother. But when she looked at the glaring feline in front of her, she knew Skadi wouldn't hesitate to tear out her throat.

"Mama, please! It's  _me_! Elsa!" she desperately yelled.

The leopard growled in response, the sound deep and hiss-like. She pounced at Elsa again, but this time the blonde managed to swivel and avoid her. Elsa windmilled her arms when her heel suddenly slipped into an unexpected dip in the ground.

Skadi shape-shifted into human form. Her red eyes narrowed to crimson slits, and she lunged while the blonde was distracted, grabbing her around her middle. The two tumbled down the steep slope until they splashed into the ice-cold water of the fjord.

The suction of their fall sent them deep under the churning water. Elsa hadn't seen the water coming, so she didn't have time to take a deep breath and brace herself. Fear danced down her spine when the need to breathe pushed to the forefront of her mind.

The blonde quickly untangled herself from her mother's limbs and kicked towards the surface, yelping out a valuable gasp of air when a hand grabbed her ankle and dragged her down. She tried to fight it, but a hard right hook into her gut forced the rest of the air from her lungs in a pained grunt.

The air bubbles shook towards the surface, her need to breathe growing the further they floated away. Elsa thrashed against her mother's hold, but even though she was panicking, her efforts were half-hearted. She couldn't hurt her.

With her face a permanent snarl, Skadi spun her around and yanked her close, locking her legs around her waist and snatching her neck in a powerful headlock. Elsa frantically clawed her arm as her throat was crushed, the thick steel around her neck gouging into her jugular. She tried swimming for the surface even with her mother latched onto her back, but the weight was too much.

Blackness fizzed into Elsa's vision as a burning fire deflated her lungs. She closed her eyes.  _I'm sorry, Mama…_

Skadi’s howl of pain was lost in muted bubbles. Blood diffused around them as she released Elsa’s neck and cradled the ice buried in her forearm. The older blonde almost immediately recovered, ignoring her injury and scrambling to re-establish her hold. Elsa twisted and jabbed her middle, loosening her legs off her waist just enough to slip through and dart away.

Elsa gasped loudly when she broke the surface, her shallow breaths not filling her lungs fast enough. She froze a thick sheet of water to use as a float as she regained her breath and recovered her senses.

Her mother came up a few yards away, making a float for herself before climbing onto it. An ear-numbing hum made Elsa lift her head and watch Skadi wave her now glowing hands. Thick ice grew from her mother’s float and rippled over the water and as it raced to ensnare her.

Elsa’s exhaustion was crushed by sudden panic. She scrambled onto her small float, the wave of ice crashing against itself as it closed on the water's surface. She stared at it for a second too long. The light _whip_ of something flying through the air made her instinctively dodge the four-foot-long ice spike meant to impale her head. She grimaced when her roll forced her to freeze more water to avoid falling into the fjord, the use of her powers draining what little energy she had left.

Skadi snarled. She shot again and again, Elsa narrowly dodging the barrages of ice.

The younger blonde formed a shield, but it didn't last long against her mother's ferocity before shattering. Elsa held up her arms to protect her eyes from the tiny bits that sprayed from it. When she chanced to look up, she found Skadi glaring at her, her palms eerily glowing and the air around her snapping with frost. She stomped her foot with a loud grunt, a pulse of blue jumping from her body and scattering over the ice. Elsa fell on all fours as the ice trembled.

Arctic blue widened in awed terror. Ice chased after the blue pulse like bolts of lightning, freezing the water until the fjord was frozen into a misshapen ice field.

A furious growl made her look up. When she saw a snow leopard pouncing at her with extended claws, her immediate instinct was to shape-shift into her own animal form. Her body started to change, but her collar choked her into stopping when her growing body pressed against the tight metal. Coughing and wheezing from the mild strangling, she barely ducked and rolled out of her mother's reach, a thick paw managing to glaze a shallow blow across her arm.

Elsa whipped her arm to summon an icy gale, shards and heavy snow pushing her mother away. The feline dug her claws into the frozen fjord and ducked her head, yelping when a sizeable chunk of ice smacked against her skull.

Elsa immediately cut the flow of magic, barely resisting the urge to run over and see if her mother was okay.  _I can't do this._  The snow leopard shook her head, baring her teeth in a spiteful snarl.

"Mama…Please, I know you're in there…" Elsa said, her throat tightening. Skadi stalked around her, her muscles taut. "I missed you so much. I know Hans hurt you, and I'm sorry but…you have to stop this. This isn’t you!…Please…"

Her mother didn't hesitate as she pelted forward for another attack.

 

* * *

 

Anna clutched her father's hand, crouching over his trembling body. The ice was driven deep into his lower chest, and his breathes were shallow and floppy from the blood collecting in his lungs.

Cries and shrieks of pain echoed around her in a horrific chorus. She didn't turn around, keeping her teary vision focused on her father's rapidly paling face. The roaring golems slashed at the guards relentlessly charging them, shaking the foundation of the castle.

"As much as I enjoy this little show, I’d rather not completely destroy the castle," Hans said. He waved at the monsters. "Forget the men. Bring me my fiancé and get me out of here. I don't want to miss Skadi killing her daughter. It should be quite a show."

The golems swept their massive arms around the room, throwing soldiers against the walls as they lumbered toward the princess. Anna stared at them, too scared to run away. She threw herself over her father as a clawed hand reached for her.

The slice of metal through ice sang with a screeching roar from one of the golems. Anna looked up. Kristoff stood in front of her, sword drawn in tight hands. His face was bloody, and his armor was frosted and dented in several places. "Get away from her!" he yelled.

Two of the golem's claws thudded onto the floor, the monster holding its stunted hand in what looked like pain. It stuttered back to Hans like a kicked dog while the other golem knocked away soldiers trying to attack their master.

The injured monster suddenly turned and gave Kristoff an angry eye-less glare, a snarl like a snowstorm thundering from its mouth. It stomped towards him. Anna looked up at her blonde knight in panic, but Kristoff merely readied his sword and lowered his stance, his face hardening as his death approached him in a fury.

The golem's wholly eyes widened when a large sword chopped off the lump of snow that was its foot. It hopped on its other leg to spin and face its assailant, but its momentum and sudden turn veered it off Kristoff's course, sending it crashing through the wall. It landed in an earth-shuddering _thud_ on the lip of ground below.

"What in the seven bloody hells is goin' on here?!"

Crow stood in all his leather-clad glory at the edge of the room, a two-handed broad sword grasped in his hands like it weighed no more than a feather. Several of his men stood in the doorway. Some of them looked like they had just woken up, but they were all carrying weapons and staring in disbelieving horror at the bloody golem still in the room.

The leftover golem roared at the newcomers, standing in front of its sideburned master.

"Quade!" Anna exclaimed out of surprised impulse. The scared man looked her way and scowled.

"For the last time, ma name ain't—" Crow's milky eyes widened when he saw the injured king. "Agdar?" he said, his features softening.

His bushy brow lowered over his eyes. He spun to the group of men in the doorway. "What're ya waitin' for, ya lousy bastards?! Kill that thing!" He pointed at the golem, and the burly men raised their weapons and shouted the affirmative before charging the snow monster. They were much more strategic about approaching the beast than the guards. They moved as a body, like an amoeba ensnaring its prey. Kristoff joined right with them.

The broken floorboards shook as Crow rushed to Anna's side. He knelt beside the wounded king and shook his head when he saw the extent of his injuries. The front of the king’s dark uniform was soaked to a wet black, and a small pool of blood was beginning to edge around his torso.

"By the gods…" Crow mumbled. He glanced at Anna, growling when he saw her wet face. He smacked the back of her head. "Get a hold of yerself, lass! You'll do nobody no good by cryin'!"

The redheaded princess stared at him in shock, her tears ceasing. "Now if ya want ta live, then _move_!" Anna flinched at the boom in his voice, but the shout snapped her to her senses.

She looked down at her father. "But what about—"

A muffled _boom_ made the two of them cover their heads. A man flew past them and slammed into one of the leather chairs that used to sit in front of her father’s desk. The furniture shot out of the gaping hole in the wall, the now unconscious man rolling and nearly falling out after it if a downed guard beside him hadn't caught him.

Crow quickly recovered himself. He gently picked up the fallen king. "Are ya deaf, princess?! I said  ** _move_**!"

Anna sprung to her feet as Crow made for the door, but when she looked out the gaping hole that overlooked the fjord, she skidded to a stop.

 _What the hell…_  The fjord was completely frozen, two figures colliding in flashes of blue light on its surface. Anna ran to the edge to get a better look. Fear raced over her skin like static when she saw Elsa pinned by her mother's snow leopard form.

The blonde tried summoning her powers to fight back, but even from this distance Anna could see that they were waning. She remembered their run from Crow's men a few months back when Elsa used her powers to fight them off. They had run for barely half an hour when Elsa said she was out of magic-juice.

 _Just change!_  she screamed in her head, her heart leaping into her throat when Elsa was tripped and pinned again.  _Why won't you just—_

A strong grip strangling her arm tore Anna from her thoughts. She was roughly shaken, another roar from the snow golem bringing her to focus on Crow's angry face. He cradled the king in one of his large arms. "Do you  _want_  to die?! I said—!"

"The key!" Anna exclaimed. She ripped away from his grip and yanked the lapels of his leather trench coat. "Elsa needs the key!"

Crow glared at her. "What the hell are you ta—"

"The key to Elsa's collar! I need it now! Right now!" she quickly slurred, shaking the large man.

Crow's face hardened. "Listen here, girl. I've spent a third of my life huntin' that bitch down, and I am  _not_ lettin' her go anytime soon. And in case you haven't noticed, your little ice friend just tried to  _kill yer father_  and then made a bloody snow demon to do  _us_  in!"

Anna gritted her teeth, her brow furrowing low over narrowed teal eyes. She yanked him down to her eye level. "You will give me that key right now or so help me I will break both of your legs and throw you in the fjord," she growled, her eyes flaring with unbridled fury. She grabbed Crow's chin and forced him to look outside where a small snowstorm was starting to brew. "Elsa is trying to save us, you idiot! Her mom's the one who made those things!"

"Her mo—," Crow swallowed his next words and mumbled to himself. He yanked his chin from her hand and gave the princess a long stare that she returned with a glare. He sighed heavily, reaching around his neck and ripping off a twine necklace that pulled an iron key from his shirt. "Ya best not being lyin' ta me, girl. That beast is still mine when this is said and done, ya hear?"

Anna snatched the key from his hand, not caring enough to give him an answer. She dashed out of the room, jumping over broken furniture and piles of snow. The hairs on her neck stood on end when the snow golem clogged the door behind her with his hand in a desperate attempt to grab her.

The hallway passed by her in a blur. The castle servants must have heard the clamor and escaped, judging from the empty halls.

Anna's lungs burned for air, and when fatigue nearly made her trip down the stairs to her death, she reluctantly decided to take a small break. She leaned against a frosted window and looked outside. A small army was rallying around the castle to charge the fallen golem.

_Why aren't they coming inside? Can't they see there's another one upstai—_

Anna barely ducked in time to avoid being decapitated. Hans jabbed his sword at her two more times, the redheaded princess narrowly dodging the blade's edge.

Her back was forced against the wall. "Hans?" she gasped.

Hans readied his sword at her chest, a gut-wrenching smirk tugging at his lips. "You really thought you could just run away? Before our wedding? Anna, I'm hurt."

Anna snarled. "You're insane!"

Hans hummed. "I wouldn't say ‘insane.’ My goals are just…different than yours." The tip of his sword pressed into the thick velvet of her dress. Anna swallowed hard, refusing to be rattled by the threat. "Now, if you would please hand over that key you have and return with me, I would much appreciate it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The prince rolled his eyes. "Anna, we were in the same room. I heard everything. Don't try to lie to me. I can't have Elsa changing into that beast of hers. That might give her an actual chance at winning, and I want her _dead_.” His sword moved up, grazing the skin above her shirt collar. "Now, hand it over."

"No. You'll have to kill me if you want it."

"Must you always be this difficult? I was really hoping to not have to kill you, but—"

Anna punched the crook of his elbow, his sword clattering to floor. The prince gasped in pain, unable to defend himself as a kick in his stomach and then his shin sent him to his knees. Anna kicked him onto his back, driving her heel between his legs. The prince choked and pitifully moaned.

" _That_ was for Elsa's mom!" she yelled, drawing back her foot. "And this—"

Hans grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the floor. Anna wheezed when the breath was knocked out of her, too stunned to resist when Hans rolled on top of her. She struggled to push him off, but the prince pinned her wrists to the carpet and held her down with his weight.

He sneered. "I'm going to have so much fun breaking you…" He ground against her in time with her squirms, making the redhead turn a furious red.

Anna jabbed the crown of her head between his eyes. The prince reeled back with a sharp cry, releasing her to cradle his face. Anna pushed out from underneath him and boxed the side of his head with her elbow.

She stood and sprinted, Hans soon fast on her heels. Her feet nearly fell out from beneath her when she made a sharp turn into another hallway. A passing suit of armor caught her eye.

_Perfect!_

Anna grabbed the antique sword from its sheath, spinning to face the sideburned prince. She crouched low, like a wolf bristling in preparation for a fight.

Hans jogged to her when he noticed she stopped. "Well well well…" He grinned and touched his blade to hers, running the metal up and down as he assumed a fighting stance. "I see you have pretty good form, but do you know how to use it? These aren't toys, princess."

Anna growled. She spun on her heel and sliced at Han's feet, the prince jumping back. With the same momentum, she swung high and slashed down. She allowed Hans to block her, skipping her blade off of his and jabbing at his exposed side. She cut deep into his hip flesh, and the prince bent over to favor the bleeding wound.

Without glancing back at him, Anna resumed her sprint to the castle’s back doors. A steady thumping behind her told her that Hans was following her, and she sent a silent prayer to the gods that she would get to Elsa in time.

 

* * *

 

" _Ah!_ "

Elsa stumbled as an ice shard sliced through arm, a thick stream of blood running down to her hand and dripping onto the ice. Her clothes were as bloody and tattered as her body, and it was a miracle she hadn't passed out yet.

She wasn't out of shape, but after a full night at Crow’s mercy and then a sleepless day in prison, she wasn't ready for this big of a fight. She could already feel her powers waning despite rationing her attacks.

Skadi snarled and charged, running up a conjuring slope that curled around Elsa’s back. The younger blonde summoned a wall in the slope’s path and threw her off.

Her mother jumped over the wall and slid on the ice behind her before she crouched and windmilled her arms, thin blade-like waves firing at blinding speed.

Elsa dove behind the slope. The blades shattered against the cracking ice, stray shots deafening her with the suction they made as they flew by.

There was virtually no way of getting through to her mother, regardless of how hard she pleaded. The woman was completely brainwashed, not even flinching when her daughter bled or cried out from her attacks.

Elsa quickly leaned out of her cover and punched the air, summoning a thick wave to roll over the frozen fjord and unbalance her mother. The younger blonde darted out and tackled her before she could regain her footing, holding her forearms down and sitting on her back.

"Snap out of it!" she yelled, growing desperate when the older woman continued to ignore her. "I don't want to fight you! Please, Mama, think! Hans isn't keeping you anywhere anymore, you don't have to listen to him!"

Skadi growled at her, shape-shifting out of her human form. The silvery leopard easily flipped their positions. Elsa was slammed against the ice, her arms straining to keep her mother's snapping maw away from her throat.

She yelped when claws buried into her shoulders, drawing tears to her eyes. Elsa gritted her teeth and slammed a dull ice block into her mother’s side that threw her off. The feline twisted to land on her feet, shaking her head and bracing for another attack.

"Elsa!"

Elsa's head swiveled to the shoreline so fast that her neck twitched with a small cramp. Arctic blue widened when she saw a familiar redhead pelting towards her with a bloodied sword in her hand.

_No! No, Anna, get away!_

"Anna, get _back_!" she yelled, dodging a swipe at her throat.

The redhead ignored her, of course. She instead held up her hand, waving it back and forth. "I have the key, Elsa!" The princess slid onto the frozen fjord, almost losing her balance but continuing forward, regardless. "I got it! I got the—"

Anna scrambled to ready her sword as Hans jumped down after her. The cold ring of metal chimed in their stand-off before Hans pulled away and began his assault.

Anxiety crawled up Elsa's back like a spider as Anna dodged a dozen fatal blows, but it didn't have long to fester before she was forced to defend herself again.

"What are you doing—" Elsa made a shield to catch a long spike, returning a small volley of shards. "—here, Anna?!" She cracked the ice beneath Skadi's feet, forcing her to stop and find stable ground. Elsa used the distraction to summon a cage-like arrangement of spikes around her mother, but the red-eyed woman shape-shifted and leapt out of the way. "It's too dangerous to be here!"

"But _key_!" Anna drove Hans back with a few quick side blows that he barely blocked. "For the _collar_!" She scrambled to hold the flat of her blade in front of her chest to block a swing that would have split her open. "So you can _change_!"

It took an unnecessarily long minute for Elsa to decipher what the redhead was trying to say. "Throw it to me!" she yelled.

Anna ducked beneath Hans' arm and kicked him towards the shoreline, reeling back her left arm and throwing as hard as she could. "Catch!"

The throw was overshot, and Elsa ran after it as it arched over her.

Hans got to his feet, his face blood red. "Skadi! Stop her!"

A weight crashing into Elsa’s side knocked the breath out of her. She slid on the ice with her attacker, the key bouncing away from them.

"Kill her! Kill her!" Hans screamed, barely dodging when Anna angrily swung at his bruised face. “ _Kill her!_ ”

Elsa scrambled out from beneath her mother, but Skadi hugged her legs and dragged her back down. Elsa twisted and kicked, their close proximity making her hesitate to use her powers.

She reeled back her arm to punch her mother in hopes of dazing her so she could escape. Skadi quickly released Elsa’s legs and caught her punch, freezing over her other fist in an icy gauntlet and punching the underside of Elsa’s forearm.

_Snap!_

Elsa  _howled_  in agony, her arm splintering in a gruesome crack of breaking bone. With tears swelling in her eyes, she kicked her mother off and summoned a small boulder that slammed into her stomach and pushed her away.

Elsa scrambled over the ice. The key was just within reach. She was about to close her fingers around it when she heard her mother stomp her foot.

The ice beneath the key shattered, the small piece of iron disappearing into the fjord below.

"No!" Elsa darted her hands in after it, even her broken arm, but her fingers barely grazed it as it sunk beyond reach.

Cold panic flooded her mind as she desperately reached for the key, her shoulders and broken arm screaming at her as she forced her arms deeper into the small hole. She unwittingly allowed herself to be too distracted to notice her mother weaving her hands behind her until her arms were frozen in a solid block of ice.

"What?" The blonde tugged her arms, sharply yelping when she jostled her broken arm.

A surreal hum made her look up. Her mother was standing over her, a sword of cerulean ice forming in her hand.

"Elsa!" Anna screamed. She tried running to her, but Hans blocked her way. " _Move_ , Elsa! Get up!"

Elsa yanked harder, useless as it was. Her eyes widened when Skadi raised her weapon.

Hans grinned madly. "Yes! Kill her!"

Anna's face paled in terror " _No!_ "

The redheaded princess frantically delivered a series of slicing jabs to Hans' torso before spinning behind him and swiping a deep blow against the back of his thighs, her sword slicing through layers of muscles and ligaments in a sickening crunch. The prince screamed and collapsed, his legs no longer able to support him.

Anna sprinted to Elsa. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, and seconds passed like small eternities as Skadi drew back her sword.  _No No No NO NONONO!_

" ** _NO_** _!_ " she screamed. Her sheer panic propelled her legs to inhumane speed. She raised her sword and swung at Skadi's back.

But the blow never touched her.

Anna saw a flash of narrowed crimson eyes before her senses froze over. She thought she heard Elsa scream, but she was too busy gasping and clutching her heart to notice.

She had felt cold before. She was from the northernmost country in the world. Cold was in her blood.

But she had never felt like cold was  _literally in her blood_.

Elsa wildly tugged her arms as Anna collapsed. "ANNA!" Utter terror shot red-hot through her body. " _ANNA!_ "

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but the air in her lungs was too cold to make words with. Her freezing muscles all contracted at once, forcing her into a fetal position. Her head uncomfortably tingled, a freezing pulse shuddering through her body. She watched in a small degree of terror as her braid turned white.

Hans limped over to them, his left leg uselessly dangling as he used his sword as a pseudo-crutch. Elsa continued to strain against the ice keeping her in place, her fear numbing her to her pain. "Oh dear…" The Southern Isles prince clumsily knelt next to Anna's shaking body. He lifted her chin with a bloody gloved hand. "Well, this is unfortunate."

The ice cracked around Elsa's arms. She desperately whined when Anna whimpered in pain. She glared at Hans, her eyes narrowed to icy slits. "What did you do to her?!"

Hans dropped Anna's chin. "I didn't do anything, really. If you're going to point fingers, it was your mother who did it. I wanted Anna alive." He grunted as he shifted in his kneeled position. "But I guess I can't get everything I want, can I?"

Elsa growled, baring her canines. With a final yank, the ice shattered around her hands in a blue flash. She immediately lunged at the prince.

A blow against her stomach threw her back. She slid before stopping, coughing and shakily sitting up on her good elbow. Hans smirked when she glared at him, a thin line of blood streaming from the corner of her mouth.

The prince shrugged. "But if you really want an answer to your question, Anna is freezing to death, in a way. I'm sure you saw what happened to that guard earlier. It's a rather painful way to go." The rest of Anna's hair turned as white as her mark, and she clutched her hands to her chest, watching the tips of her fingers turn icy blue and branch frost over her skin.

Hans sighed. "It's a pity, really. I was hoping to bed her. Such a waste…"

Elsa managed to get to her feet. "Fix it," she growled, her voice dangerously low. Her face flushed red, her good hand balling into a fist while the other cradled against her chest. " _Change her back!_ "

"Sorry, but there's no way to fix her. The damage is done," he said, though his face was anything but sorry.

Elsa's vision was quickly becoming blurry. " _Liar!_ Fix her!"

"What is it with you and wanting to stop the inevitable?" Hans laughed. "I almost pity you."

Fat moisture ran warm over Elsa's cheeks. This wasn't happening. Anna was going to be okay. They were supposed to go live on the river, right? Who would she teach to swim if Anna wasn't there?

The blonde stepped forward, but her mother immediately mirrored her movements. Elsa choked. It felt like someone was strangling her heart with their bare hands. She couldn't get to Anna. She couldn't fix this.

Or could she?

Elsa shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.  _No. No, I can't…_  Tears rained over her cheeks, making clear rivers through the filth and blood on her face.

Anna made a small pained sound. Elsa wouldn’t have been able to hear it without her heightened senses. The redhead curled her legs closer to her chest, trying to seek warmth that she would never be able to feel again. She cracked open her frosting eyelashes and glanced at her blonde. "E-Elsa…" she pitifully muttered. She would be crying if her tear ducts weren't frozen shut.

Elsa didn't think. She just moved.

She sprinted forward, her movements feeling impossibly slow and her mother's looking even slower. The woman glared at her with murder in her crimson eyes, her merciless sneer twisting her lip in a downward curl. She summoned a wall of spikes to Elsa's right, but she skirted around them.

_"Rawr!" Elsa squeaked, pawing at her mother's thick tail. The lying snow leopard flicked the agile appendage to her front, the silver tiger cub tripping over her small paws to catch it._

_The spotted snow cat delicately batted the tiny cub with her paw in play. The silver ball of fur make a strong attempt at a weak growl, pouncing on her face. Her mother caught her in her much bigger paws, purring and licking her young cub. The tiny cat yawned and snuggled her face into her mother's thick chest fur._

Skadi snarled. She raised her hands and fired a barrage of shards at the charging blonde, but Elsa ducked low and crafted a shield to catch the blast. A blade manifested in her good hand.

_"Happy birthday, Elsa!"_

_The six-year-old gasped at the small box in front of her. It was made of ice, but it was thick enough to hide what was inside. She tore open the lid, squealing when she saw its contents._

_She held up her new shirt in tiny hands. "Mama, look!" she said, bouncing._

_Her mother forced a smile. The shirt was worn and wholly at the neckline. She had stolen it from a village they passed by earlier that morning. It was blue—Elsa's favorite color._

_"I see it, sweetie. I see it." Elsa changed out of her old rag so fast that she nearly tore it. She slipped on her new garment, smiling and waving her arms through the too big sleeves._

_She looked back in the box, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. She carefully reached inside and pulled out her other gift._

_"A peach?" she whispered in awe. Whenever they did eat, it was whatever meat her mother was able to hunt. They only had fruit when they stole, and they only did that when they desperately needed food._

_Her mother smiled. "It's much better to eat than look at, honey. Why don't you try it?"_

_Elsa didn't have to be told twice. She took a monstrous bite out of the fruit, being especially careful not to get any of the juices on her new shirt. Her cheeks lit up at the exotic, sweet taste, and she happily hummed._

_She held it out to her mother. "Try it, Mama! It's really yummy!"_

_Her mother held up her hand, shaking her head. "That's very kind of you, but I don't want any. It's your present. You should enjoy it."_

_Elsa frowned. "But you haven't eaten all day, Mama."_

_"I told you I wasn't hungry. I'm fine, Elsa." She pained a smile._

_Elsa's frown deepened. She pushed aside the box and crawled into her mother's lap, pressing the peach against her lips. "Eat it."_

_"Sweetie, I—"_

_"No," she defiantly said. "It's my birthday, and I say you eat it."_

_Her mother stared for a long second before she smiled warmly at her daughter, tears wetting her eyes_

_Elsa went wide-eyed. "Mama? Mama, why you crying?"_

_Her mother smiled wider, rubbing away her tears. Elsa huffed in surprise when she was suddenly pulled against her chest in a tight hug._

_"I love you, Elsa."_

_Elsa snuggled into her shirt, not understanding why her mother was sad. "I love you too, Mama."_

_I love you too, Mama._

The ice slid through Skadi's chest with the ease of a knife through warmed butter, a soft squelch accompanying the slide of the blade. Her blood-red eyes widened, her outstretched arms shaking and stuttering to grasp the back of Elsa's shirt while the pale glow of magic left her hands.

The younger blonde pressed against her mother, her face buried in the crook of her neck where tears silently fell against her skin. Her broken arm curled around her torso to hold her shaking body firmly over the blade.

Skadi coughed, blood spraying down her chin and over Elsa's shoulder. Then she choked on a wheeze, blood fluttering up her throat and into her lungs.

Elsa stood stone still. Her muscles were all tensed, her grip on her blade nearly painful. Despite trying to keep her silence, her body shivered with desperately contained sobs.

Skadi clawed her shoulders. She tried and failed to summon a dagger to plunge into Elsa's exposed back, but her magic only fluttered like a dying light.

Her dead body fell against her daughter in a grotesque hug, her blood pooling at Elsa’s feet and seeping into her clothes.

_I love you, Mama._

Elsa screamed. All of her choked back sobs came scratching out of her throat in that one sound of complete agony, her body shuddering under her mother's weight.

The weapon dissipated into softly falling flakes when she released it, tightly wrapping her arms around Skadi’s shoulders and sobbing into her dead mother's shirt. Each of her cries overflooded her senses with her scent, and she tried her hardest to brand the familiar smell into her memory.

"M-Ma...m-ma…" she stuttered. “I-I'm s-sorry…so… s-so s-sorry…"

Elsa allowed herself only a few seconds longer to weep before she released her. With her vision a blind watery haze, she gently laid her mother on the ice. Skadi's eyes were back to the arctic blue she remembered, but now they were glazed and lifeless.

She promptly shut them.

"No!" Hans screamed. He struggled to crawl on his knees, but he fell on his elbows. "You  _idiot_! Do you not realize what you've done?! I spent  _years_  ma—"

Elsa flicked her wrist at him. A boulder-sized block of ice rammed into his head with an echoing _smack_ , and The Southern Isles’ prince collapsed in a disfigured heap.

"E-Elsa?"

Elsa ran to Anna. She dropped to her knees at her side and gently cradled the princess with her good arm. The blonde shakily smiled, running her bloody fingers through Anna’s snow-white bangs.

"You're gonna be okay now, Anna," she said, forcing herself not to look behind her at her mother's corpse. "You're gonna be okay."

"Elsa?" the redhead repeated, like she hadn't heard her. Her teal eyes were barely open, and frost crept over her face. "I-I'm so…c-cold…"

Elsa held her closer to her warmer body. She kissed her brow. "I'm sorry, Anna, I know, but you're going to get be—"

"E-Elsa?" the frost fringing Anna's face crept further. "I-It's getting c-col…der…"

Elsa was silent for a long second. Then she shook her head, a nervous smile spreading across her face. "N-No you're not, Anna. Stop lying. I-It's not funny." She licked her chapped lips. "You're getting _better_."

Anna's breath hitched, her forehead and cheeks turning an inhuman blue. "E…E-El…sa…"

It only took a split second. If she blinked, she would have missed it.

Anna…her sweet, beautiful, warm Anna…turned to ice.

The whole world seemed to stand still. Elsa didn't breath.

"Anna…?" she whispered, though in the eerie quiet it sounded like a shout. Anna stared up at her with frozen eyes, loving teal turned to biting ice. "A-Anna?"

Her breathing quickened to a frightening pace. Her head felt light, like it was filled with cotton.

There was no way this was happening.

This was just a nightmare.

Just another nightmare.

She would wake up any second now and make a snowman to cheer herself up.

Elsa shook the frozen body in her arms, reality hitting her with the unforgiving force of a sledgehammer. " _Anna?_ " Hot tears flowed fast and heavy down her face.

No response.

"No…" she whispered, shaking her head. She desperately looked around, finding only her mother's dead body and Hans’ unconscious form. Panic boiled in her stomach and shook through her chest. She looked back down at Anna. "N-No…"

Her best friend was gone.

She rubbed her thumb over Anna's icy cheek, ignoring the pain flaring in her broken arm. "No. _P-Please_ no…"

She would never see her smile again.

She would never hear her laugh again.

She would never feel her love again.

Elsa choked out a shaky breath, her bone-crushing grief flooding over her like a scalding hot wave. She buried her face against Anna's frozen collarbone, every sob that shook her body feeling like a thousand knives gouging her heart out of her chest.

Anna was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** The End **
> 
> ** kidding...just kidding... **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	21. Marked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Shoutout to the bros, bras, and bres zat are my reviewers and ze beautiful people zat make ze fanart. It is ze most beautiful I just...my poor heart **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Anna felt like she was floating.

Not quite flying, not quite falling. Maybe she was still. She couldn't tell. Everything just buzzed like it was alive but barely there.

Like she was.

A flash of a sword swung through her mind.

_Gotta get to…gotta save …_

Her blonde screamed.

_No…Elsa…_

She saw crimson and felt cold.

_Elsa._

Her world froze over.

_Elsa._

"Elsa…" she mumbled. Her throat burned as the two syllables scratched up her windpipe. She groaned, sucking on her chapped tongue.

Anna twitched her arm. She flinched away from her left when a nearly blinding light gradually slanted over her eyes. After a few minutes of lying still, she began to feel the heat of its source melt into her cheek.

She felt warm.

With what felt like the effort of lifting a boulder, the redhead managed to feebly open her eyes. Confusion blanketed over her mind when she looked down and found herself tucked into her bed in a thick nightgown. A fireplace cracked warmly across the room, and morning sunshine shone through the snow-frosted window.

She looked to the right, her eyes locking on to a single stool sitting next to the head of her bed.

The princess sat up.  _Wha…?_  she thought, looking around the quiet room.  _Why am I—_

"Anna?"

Anna looked to her door. There stood a very surprised Kristoff with a tray of what smelled like soup in his hands. The knight was dressed in a simple tunic and riding boots.

He smiled. "You're awake!" The door snapped closed behind him, and he placed the tray on her nightstand before sitting on the stool she was looking at before.

Anna wiped a piece of hair off her cheek, putting it back with the rest that hung long and unbraided down her back. "Was I asleep?" she asked.

Kristoff furrowed his brow. "What do you…Do you not remember?"

 _Remember…_  Anna's eyes widened. She threw the blankets off and jumped out of bed, dashing for the door. She heard Kristoff yell behind her but she didn't care to stop and listen to him.  _Elsa. Elsa's in danger._

Her bare feet pounded over the plush castle carpet as she turned one hallway and then another. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she had to go somewhere.

A hand on her shoulder forced her to stop. Kristoff spun her around and held her in place by her upper arms. She hadn't noticed she had run that far until she saw Kristoff panting. It took her a second to register that she was in need for air as well.

" _Jeez_ …," he puffed. "For someone who's been in a coma for the past week, you sure have no problem getting around…"

"A week?" she repeated. "What do you mean ‘a week?’ I wasn't...Kristoff, what's going on?"

Kristoff cocked his head. "You really don't remember?" When she showed no change in emotion, he sighed. "Anna…you were—you were frozen. Literally."

_Cold. Her fingertips had turned blue. Her vision was a frosty blur._

"What?" Anna breathed. "I…I what?"

Kristoff softly smiled. "You saved Elsa's life. Skadi would have killed her if it weren't for you."

Anna perked up at the mention of Elsa's name. "Elsa? Where's Elsa? Is she okay? Is she hurt?" Her eyes widened. "Please don't say she's dead. Oh gods, please for the love of all things good and—"

Kristoff put his hand over her mouth. "Elsa's fine, Anna. Well, physically she is. Well,  _mostly_  physically. Anyways." He shook his head to gather his thoughts. "The point is that she's alive and well. I just saw her a few minutes ago getting her bandages changed in the hospital wing."

Anna's shoulders sagged in relief. Elsa was okay. She was safe.

She looked up at Kristoff. "What about Papa? Is he…o-okay?" she stuttered.

Kristoff's lips bit into a straight line. "Your father's alive, but I won't lie and say he's alright. His wound was pretty bad. He's doing a lot better, but he's not out of the woods yet." The blonde man glanced away. "But Skadi…she's dead. Elsa killed her."

"What?" she breathed in disbelief. "No. Elsa wouldn't do that. She was her mother. She could never—"

"If it meant saving you, she would." Honey eyes gazed into teal. "She thought the only way to stop you from freezing was to destroy the source that started it. I suppose she was right, in a way. You still froze, but you did thaw." Kristoff smiled. "It took us quite a while to get you back in the castle. Elsa wouldn't let anyone near—"

_Crash!_

Anna and Kristoff looked up at the sudden sound echoing through the hall. Footsteps rapidly pounded towards them.

"Anna!"

Anna's caught her breath.  _Elsa?_

A skid of skin on carpet harrolled Elsa's disgruntled appearance on the opposite end of the hall. The blonde's feet nearly slid out from beneath her from the sudden stop. Bandages hung loose and tight around her at random places, like she had just run out before they were finished. She was practically naked, a short pair of shorts and a silk wrapping around her chest being a thin barrier to her privacy. Her breathes came short and fast, and her right arm hung at her side in a tightly secured wooden splint.

Anna's heart soared, and she took a step forward. "Elsa?"

Elsa continued her sprint towards her redhead in a split second. " _Anna!_ "

Anna opened her arms to hug her just as Elsa crashed into her embrace. The blonde wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, lifting her off the ground, broken arm be damned. She buried her face against Elsa's warm neck. The feeling of hot tears on her own throat proved that they were both bawling.

"You're awake!" Elsa muffled against her skin. Anna could hardly hear anything besides the deafening purr rumbling loudly from her chest. Her grip on her waist was unrelenting, but Anna could care less if she was snapped in half from the force. "You're awake!"

Anna tried to collect herself while still hidden under Elsa's chin before the blonde pulled away to look at her, but seeing Elsa's utterly overjoyed and relieved face sent her to tears again. She caught the blonde's face in her hands, the taller woman purring thunderously and rubbing desperately against her palms. Her heart wrenched painfully when her thumb rubbed against the white bandage covering the new scar that stretched down her face.

Pale hands shakily held her face as well. Elsa was literally trembling, whether with joy or fear or relief was anyone's guess. Anna tried to say something, but her tongue couldn't form words.

Elsa suddenly scowled. "You  _idiot_!" she yelled, pulling Anna close for a fierce kiss. "You're so  _stupid_!" Another kiss, this one more bruising than the last. "Why would you do that?!" Anna could taste the salt of her tears on her lips. "You're so  _stupid_ , Anna!" Teeth clashed on the next. "I told you to stay away!" Anna whimpered as another sob racked through her, making her lips tremble against the blonde's.

Finally Elsa ceased her tirade of kisses. Arctic blue flickered around teal and over a freckled face. Her hands moved to caress tan skin. "Why did you do that?!  _Why_?!"

Despite herself, Anna managed a choke-sounding laugh. "Because I like you Elsa," she said with a teary smile. "I l-like you a lot."

Elsa's eyes widened fractionally and she blushed. "You cheeky little—"

Whatever she was going to say was caught in her mouth when Anna pulled her down for yet another kiss. She smiled when she felt the blonde relax her body against her. Her hands dropped to resume their hold on her waist, Elsa's non-broken left arm rubbing small circles into the small of her back.

Neither of them noticed when another pair of feet came scampering through the halls towards them.

Gerda thought she would finally be able to live a peaceful life after Anna grew out of adolescence, but the new blonde occupant in the castle was proving to be equally if not more troublesome for the heavy woman. Unexpectedly sprinting out of the infirmary was one of those reasons. The blonde's head had simply whipped up before she jumped off her bed and out the door.

"Miss Elsa I—Oh. Oh dear." The servant turned red in the face when she turned a corner and came within a few feet of the… _engaged_ couple. She respectfully averted her eyes to Kristoff. She frowned and smacked the knight upside his head when she saw he was gawking at the two other women.

The blonde man rubbed his head and cleared his throat. "Ugh, guys?" The redhead and blonde ignored him. "Guys…" he said a little louder.

Two heads begrudgingly looked in his direction. A cloudy haze left Anna's eyes and she blushed madly at their audience. Elsa just glared at him for the interruption. "Y-Yes?" Anna stuttered.

Gerda clasped her hands together. "Miss Elsa, I really do need to finish up those bandages for you. They're already on for the most part," she said, looking at the strips of linen hanging around her body. "I just need to adjust them into place. Tighten them and whatnot. It'll take no more than a few minutes."

Anna felt Elsa tighten her arms around her waist, just as reluctant to let go as she was.

The princess looked to her servant. "I think I can do the rest for her, Gerda. Why don't you take a break for a bit."

"Your Highness—"

"I  _insist_ , Gerda," she said firmly.

Gerda smiled politely and bowed. "As you wish, Your Highness. I'll be tending to your father if you need anything."

"Papa? How is he?" Anna blurted before the servant could walk too far. "Can I see him?"

The older woman smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid not. The physician won't allow anyone besides a few servants into his room. I'm sorry."

Anna nodded numbly and rested her head against Elsa's shoulder, a twinge of disappointment and worry weighing down her chest. Elsa rubbed her hand down her back comfortingly.

Gerda quietly dismissed herself, dragging behind her a certain blonde knight that only complained for a minute before a glare from the head butler's wife silenced him.

It was quiet when Elsa and Anna were alone. They stayed wrapped in each other's arms, just enjoying the feel of their touching bodies and not wanting to let go anytime soon.

Elsa buried her head against Anna's neck, inhaling deeply. The princess' familiar scent washed over her senses and pooled relief into every nerve in her body. It was a warm smell, a combination of summer mornings and lavender that held a spice that was uniquely Anna.

"I missed you…" she mumbled. She tightened her grip. "I thought you were dead."

The brokenness in Elsa's voice made Anna's stomach flip and her chest constrict in grief.

She pulled away to look at her blonde. Their tears had subsided for the most part, but a thin stream of moisture continued to fall down Elsa's face. She promptly wiped it away with her thumb.

"It'll take more than being frozen to kill me off. Sorry to say it, but you're stuck with me for a few decades." Elsa chuckled, a fanged smile stretching across her face. "I love you, Elsa."

Elsa leaned into her hand. "I love you, too." She looked down into teal pools. "Just promise me you won't do anything like that again. I thought I lost you."

"If I hadn't then  _I_ would have lost _you_ ," she pointed out.

"I don't care. You shouldn't be throwing your life away like that."

"Oh what and you can?"

"You're more important—"

" _No_ ," Anna said in a dangerously low voice. Her gaze turned to steal. "Don't you ever say that again, Elsa. Don't you dare say it."

Elsa searched her face for a long minute before she slowly nodded her head.

Anna took a deep breath and exhaled slowly out her nose. "Let's not argue." She unwrapped herself from Elsa's embrace and took the blonde by the hand. "Come on. Let's go to my room so I can patch you up."

 

* * *

 

Anna plopped on her bed while Elsa snapped the door closed. The bubbly redhead patted the empty portion of mattress in front of her for Elsa to sit down.

The blonde did as she was instructed. She concealed her wince when she was jostled from the springy mattress. Anna made quick work of her bandages, the majority of them being on the front of her torso and a few gashes on her arms.

Elsa wouldn't stop squirming in her seat. She was like an over-stimulated kitten, purring and touching and smiling just because she could. Anna could barely keep away her own grin even when she had to chastise her for not sitting still.

"So…," Anna began, tying a knot on the piece of linen wrapped around Elsa's bicep. The silence around them, though comforting, was beginning to make her stir-crazy. "How was ugh…How are you liking the castle?"

Elsa smirked at her. "You mean compared to sleeping in a cave? It's alright, I suppose."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Jeez someone has high standards. I'm sorry our hovel doesn't appeal to your tastes."

Elsa tilted her head back. "I am satisfied with nothing but the best the world has to offer," she said with a dramatic snobbish drawl.

Anna snorted a laugh. "You're ridiculo—"

A gentle kiss on her cheek quickly shut her up. She blushed heatedly. The touch was soft and lingering, a wisp of warm velvet lips that made her heart pound against her chest.

The pressure relieved slightly. Anna sucked in a short sharp breath when Elsa dragged her lips down and up her jawline in a painfully slow stroke. She shivered as warm breath ghosted over her ear before a small nip nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"I think you'll agree that my tastes are  _very_  refined…," she breathed, her voice low and heavy. Anna leaned back on her arms to keep herself up. She hadn't realized Elsa was over her until she felt a sultry growl rumble deep against her chest.

"E-Elsa…?" she stuttered. For someone who was typically conservative about initiating anything intimate, this was quite the turn of the table. Anna was utterly surprised—pleasantly surprised—but surprised nonetheless.

"Mm'yes?" came a husky reply. Anna could practically feel Elsa's smirk when she shuddered. She placed another kiss behind Anna's ear. "Is something wro—"

Anna's surprisingly loud giggle made Elsa pause. She leaned back slightly, looking at Anna's face in question. "What's so funny?"

The redhead bit her lip in an effort to look serious again. "Nothing. You just…tickled me is all."

Elsa blinked. She leaned back to Anna's ear, kissing the soft skin behind it. The redhead beneath her convulsed and fell back on the mattress. Giggling, she wiped at her ear to shoo away the tingling sensation.

Anna's lingering grin fell along with her stomach when she saw a predatory glint in Elsa's eye and heard her growl drop a few octaves. The blonde smirked widely, a corner of her lip catching on her fang.

"Why, Anna…I didn't know you were ticklish…"

Anna swallowed hard. She instinctively pressed herself down into the mattress, but that didn't stop Elsa from crawling over top of her. "I-I…I-I'm noAAAAHHH!"

Cold fingers dug into the princess' sides while a pale smirk mumbled against her ear. Laughter unwillingly left her mouth as lips danced over her skin. She thrashed, but Elsa was stronger than her even if bandaged and wounded. Anna's gut was hurting from laughing so hard.

A flailing arm hitting something wooden brought the attack to a stop. Anna cracked open teary eyes when she heard Elsa yelp in pain. The blonde sat back on her heels, cradling her splinted arm to her chest.

Anna scrambled to sit up. "Elsa, are you okay?" Elsa nodded, though her grimace betrayed her pain. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

"No. It's my fault." Elsa flexed her right hand to make a fist. She hissed out a deep breath, but the flexion proved that the bone wasn't displaced again. Arctic blue looked up to find teal, a smile curling across her face. "I was kindof asking for it."

"Yeah you were," she said. Since Elsa was no longer in any immediate pain, she scowled at the blonde. "You'd better watch your back now. Anna of Arendelle always gets her revenge."

Elsa cocked her jaw. "You mean whacking my broken arm wasn't good enough?"

"Not even close."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

Anna giggled, smirking. "Ou contraire, I think you're the one who's—"

A glance of something in the mirror at the end of her bed caught Anna's eye. She looked at the image for a long second to confirm what she saw, but she still didn't quite believe it. Her vision was obstructed when a bandaged pale face intruded her sight.

"Anna?" Elsa asked, her eyes darting nervously over Anna's distant face. "You okay?"

Elsa's voice prompted Anna to blink out of her stupor. "Wha? Yeah I'm fine," she said offhandedly. "Elsa…what's on your back?"

The blonde blinked. She looked behind herself at the mirror, catching a glimpse of the image in question. "Oh, that. I almost forgot about that."

"Has that always been there?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I think I would have noticed something that big, Anna."

Anna cocked her head in confusion. "Then where the heck did it come from?"

Elsa looked up out of the corner of her eye and bit the inside of her cheek in thought. "I think it was the day after—or was it the day after that day?—no it was definitely the day after…well,  _everything_. Anyways, the day after you un-froze, I just kindof woke up and it was there. I tried washing it off, but it sticks like it's part of my skin or something."

"Can I look at it?" Anna asked, curiosity bubbling in her words. The princess shifted in her seat as Elsa turned around.

Anna sucked in an awed breath as she brushed her fingers over the blonde's upper back. She had seen tattoos before—it was a pretty common practice among the castle guard—but she had never seen anything like this.

Stretching across Elsa's upper back and shoulder-blades was a flourished rendering of the Arendelle crocus, the only difference being that the crocus was a deep shade of teal outlined in black rather than the nation's traditional colors. Black and teal ribbons curled and twisted around the detailed flower, a touch of majestic style that the crest lacked.

The tattoo blanketed the scars embedded across the top of Elsa's back. Those on the rest of her were still as definite as ever, but they were overshadowed by the crocus' intricate and detailed beauty.

"It's…" Anna ran her fingers over the teal skin again, her fingers dipping into the burrows from the scars but the visible evidence all but gone. "It's beautiful…" She shook her head in awe at the seemingly flawless inverse of color from the teal and black crocus to the black and teal designs. She had never seen a colored tattoo before. "But what in the world is it?"

Elsa chuckled, looking over her shoulder at Anna's cute slack-jawed surprise. "Your guess is as good as mine. Although I do think I might have an idea." She nodded her head. "Recognize it?"

"Do I recognize it— _of course_  I recognize it! I'm the friggin' princess, Elsa."

Elsa turned around and smiled, running her hand through Anna's hair and catching her white stand between her fingers. "Exactly. Maybe this is just you're way of…marking me, I suppose."

Anna deadpanned. "Elsa. I'm human. I can't do anything like that."

Elsa shrugged. "Well then maybe it's my way of marking myself for you."

Anna crossed her arms, sticking her lip out. "Hmph. I don't need a lousy mark to know you love me."

"Anna. It's teal. I'm pretty sure it's to show that  _you_  love  _me_."

"Then why did it take so long to show up? Your 'mark' or whatever the heck it is showed up on me months ago."

Elsa glanced away. "Maybe you just didn't love me enough…" she said in a small voice.

Anna's heart skipped fretfully in her chest. She scrambled forward to the blonde, holding her hands in hers. "No no no Elsa, please don't think that. I've loved you with all my heart. Please I don't know why it didn't show sooner I'm sorry but I didn't—"

Anna stopped when she saw Elsa's lip twitch up before being forced back down, only to twitch up again. The blonde tried to avert her eyes, but Anna could still see the mirth shinning in them even from an angle.

The redhead fumed. She angrily puckered her lips, her face heating up in embarrassment and anger. Elsa chanced a glance at her from her sudden silence and completely lost it when she saw her pout.

"You think you're so funny don't you," Anna bit out. Elsa was holding her bandaged abdomen as she continued to laugh. Anna found herself starting to grin despite her want to stay mad at the blonde. She had never heard Elsa laugh so loud or long before.

Elsa laughed in surprise when Anna pounced on her, gently pinning her back to the mattress so she wouldn't hurt her. "I'll mark you alright," she said as her lips set to kissing and nipping every inch of exposed skin that her mouth could find. Elsa squirmed beneath her, but she couldn't do much since she was still laughing. "You're mine mine mine mine and don't you dare forget it," she said, punctuating each 'mine' with a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Yay ze feels ze are happy again, yah? **
> 
> ** As always, Hope ya enjoyed **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	22. Let Me Tell You a Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

Elsa had left to get them food. Well, food and chocolate of course. Anna had insisted that she could go get it herself, but the blonde was adamant. She came back with a plate full of sandwiches and chocolates balanced precariously in one arm. Luckily she made it to the bed before it fell to the floor.

Anna sat and munched on a sandwich with a stupid smile on her face while Elsa went on about how much food there was in the castle kitchen. She had never seen so much in one place before. But the head chef, Cookie, just about took her head off with a frying pan when she grabbed the food and made her escape.

The west side of the castle was bustling with people as they worked to repair the gaping hole facing the fjord. Luckily the castle bed chambers were on the east side, so it was peaceful where they were. Elsa had taken the room adjacent to Anna's. The only problem was that it was large storage room, not a bedroom. The blonde was originally placed in an actual room a little ways down the hall, but on her first night sleeping in the castle she had dragged her mattress into the cluttered room and plopped it on the dusty floor to sleep. She didn't mind it in the least, of course. It was hard enough sleeping in an unfamiliar place, but knowing Anna was just through the wall helped calm her nerves.

Anna couldn't help but laugh when Elsa recalled how she and Kristoff managed to get her collar off. Out of everyone in the castle, Elsa distrusted the blonde knight the least, but it still took quite a bit of persuading from him to convince her to let him break the lock with a hot poker. The two had bickered through the whole process, but Elsa assured her that she didn't get burned.

The two sat on Anna's bed for what was—but certainly didn't feel like—hours. When Elsa began talking about Skadi, they sat in silence, the blonde clutching to Anna like an emotional tether. Her mother's burial was a simple one. While ceremonies were being made for the soldiers who were killed in the small battle, she snuck away from the castle with the pale woman's body to bury her herself. It was rather hard to get away since she wasn't exactly stealthy with her wounds and with Gerda helicoptering over her like a mother hen, but she managed.

Since she only had one good arm, it took her the whole day to dig the six-foot deep grave in her tiger form. Her claws were sore and bleeding at the end. She had bathed and dressed her mother in oils and silks that she never had the pleasure to wear while she was alive, and she quickly left her burial sight after a teary goodbye.

But that was hours ago. Now they were still sitting on Anna's bed, moonlight being the only light in the room. Elsa slouched against the pillows with Anna laying contently over her. The blonde ran her fingers through her fiery red locks, her purr and warmth coaxing the redhead into a peaceful daze while she stared at the snow swirling outside the window.

"Hey, Elsa?" Anna mumbled against her collarbone.

Elsa stopped toying with Anna's hair, opting to wrap her arms around her shoulders instead. "Yeah?"

"What happened to Hans?"

Elsa's purr instantly snapped to a growl. The sudden change made Anna lift her head, resting her chin on her hands so she could look at her blonde. She had withheld the question since she expected it would stir her, but the one-eighty her attitude made was unsettling to say the least.

"He's sitting in the dungeon with a pair of broken legs. I'm waiting for your father to wake up and give me the go ahead to tear his throat out."

Anna sat up, a concerned scowl marring her face. "Elsa, why would you say that? You're not a murderer. Don't stoop to Hans' level."

Elsa looked away, her brow furrowed and a deep growl tumbling angrily out of her throat. "I killed my own mother in cold blood," she bit out. "If that doesn't make me a murderer then what the hell am I?"

Anna repositioned herself so that she was sitting at Elsa's side. The blonde promptly turned on her side so she couldn't look at her. Anna sighed, placing a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder.

"You didn't kill her, Elsa. She was already dead. She died a long time ago. This whole thing started with murder, it doesn't need to end with more—"

Elsa shot up, baring her fangs in a fierce snarl. Anna couldn't help but flinch back from the sudden outburst. Fear caught her heart like a pair of claws when she looked at the blonde's face.

Elsa's eyes were a stark shade of blood red.

"He took  _everything_  from me!" she roared. "My home, my  _mother_ , a chance to have a decent life—EVERYTHING!" Her breathing had gone ragged, her hands balling into white fists that shook in need to hit something. "I've killed plenty of people! What's one more lunatic going to make any difference, huh?!"

Anna's mind was telling her to run. The more Elsa got worked up, the more she was unraveling, slowly becoming something that was far from the kind woman she loved.

Elsa froze when a warm body wrapped her in a tight embrace. Her body shook with adrenaline, the need to lash out overpowering but somehow capped by the familiar touch and scent pushing its way through her senses.

"You're not a monster, Elsa." The blonde's muscles were stiff as stone against her. "You're not like Hans. Please…"

Elsa's panting breaths gradually slowed down. Her chest expanded and contracted in an effort to match Anna's, and her tense body unraveled against hers.

Eventually a pair of pale arms wrapped tightly around the redhead. "I'm sorry, Anna. I'm sorry…" her voice trailed off.

Anna rubbed her back. "It's okay," she cooed. "You did nothing wrong."

Elsa pulled away from her, shaking her head. "No. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's not your fault."

A long moment stretched between them. Elsa wanted to say something, but the redhead couldn't quite figure out what. She put a hand on her shoulder. "...You wanna talk about it?" she tentatively asked.

Elsa closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, taking a very long and very deep breath. "Yes," she said in a small voice. She looked up at the redheaded princess. "Yes I want to talk about it."

Anna grinned. "Then I'm all ears."

Elsa chuckled, giving a small smile. She sighed. "Well, then I suggest you get comfortable. My story is neither short nor sweet."

 

* * *

 

Elsa awkwardly cleared her throat. She was leaning against the headboard, Anna tucked at her side with an arm wrapped around her exposed middle. They had been sitting like that for the past five minutes.

Anna broke the silence. "Elsa, if you're not ready to talk, that's fine." She smiled softly at her. "Don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I can wait."

Elsa shook her head. "No. I want to tell you. It's just…I don't quite know where to start." Her arm around Anna's shoulders flexed and relaxed repeatedly as she fiddled with her left hand.

"Take your time," she said, tracing small circles over Elsa's abdomen.

Elsa sighed, her head already aching even though she hadn't said a word yet. When next she opened her mouth, she didn't think. She just let the words flow.

"I told you before that after ugh…after my mother died," she began, "I was on my own. When we were still together I learned that just our hair and eyes made us look strange to other people. I was too young to know how to hunt and too small to be able to do anything, really, so I had to wipe mud in my hair and steal what I could. Though I think I already told you that…"

Anna nodded encouragingly. "Go on."

Elsa swallowed hard. "Well…it worked for a while. I didn't get much, but I got enough to get by…But then I overestimated myself and got caught."

 

* * *

 

_Eight-year-old Elsa pelted around an alley corner, mud squelching beneath her feet and wind nearly deafening her from her speed. She was dressed in the rag remains of a blue shirt and grey pants. Her thin hands grasped the loaf of bread until her knuckles shook. The rain pouring around her stung her eyes and choked her when she panted._

_She knew she should have waited longer to make her move. The baker usually left at nightfall. She should have given herself some spare time in case he decided to stick around._

_Her tiny heart fluttered in her chest when she heard his booming footsteps just behind her. The bald, ox-built man had been chasing her for the past hour. The bread was turning to mush from all the rain._

_Elsa's bare feet lost their footing in the thick mud, landing her face-first on the ground. The bread flew from her hands, but she could care less about it at this point. She scrambled to her feet to get away._

_She yelped in terrified surprise when a meaty hand lifted her by the back of her shirt. She clawed at it, just barely resisting the urge to change or to use her powers. Her mother had taught her what humans would do to their kind, and a small beating was better than being found out and killed._

_The baker lifted her to his snarling face. "Thought ya could steal from me, did ya?!" He yelled, shaking her roughly. "You're gonna pay fer—what the hell?" Cold terror raced through Elsa's veins when he wiped the mud washing out of her hair. His eyes widened when her snowy white locks were revealed. "What the hell are you?"_

_"P-Please let me go," she stuttered. "I-I didn't mean to steal, I w-was just really hungry and—"_

_"Shut up!" the man bellowed, his face a ripe shade of red. "I know exactly what I'm gonna do with you, ya little bitch. No one steals from me without consequence."_

_Elsa's eyes widened, but she had no more time to plead before she was thrown to the ground and her world turned black._

 

* * *

 

"When I woke up, I was lying on a table," Elsa continued, her face glazed over with a distant look. Anna looked up at her concernedly and tightened her grip around her waist, but she patiently waited for Elsa to continue.

"He sold me to a slave broker. I woke up just as they were finishing the deal. The baker took his handful of silver and left me in that…that stable-room I guess you could call it. It was like a prison. People crowded together in cells on dirty hay like they were animals." Her jaw clenched, a muscle twitching near her cheek. "The broker seperated me from everyone else. He said he had someone in mind for me."

Anna could only nod her head. She felt completely helpless. She wanted with every fiber in her being to somehow change the course of the story, to pry Elsa from her memories, but she knew she couldn't.

She looked up at her blonde when she felt her fists clench to bone-crushing tension. Icy blue eyes were narrowed beneath a growling scowl, fangs bared in a distasteful sneer. "The man he had in mind was named Mojik."

 

* * *

 

_"Fifty silver pieces"_

_"I'll go no less than sixty and that's final."_

_Elsa curled her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Her legs ached from being cramped in the small cage. She could barely get to her knees, let alone stand. Sleeping was a nearly lost cause, but by her third night here, she had gotten used to curling up on the metal floor._

_A thick blanket over her cage kept her from seeing the two men haggling on the opposite side of the room, but her enhanced hearing let her easily make out what they were saying. Her senses were a blessed curse in her small prison. Smells were putrid and long-lasting and her vision was limited to the inch of space between the blanket and the floor, but at least she could hear what was going on._

_"Come on, old friend. Look at him. He's never worked a day in his life. It'll take me weeks to bulk him up to work around the tents. Fifty silver pieces."_

_The broker sighed. "Fucking silver-tongued lizard…Fine. Fifty silver pieces," he begrudgingly said. "But don't expect any hagglin' rights on the one I called ya in fer. She's full price."_

_"Oh?" The two pairs of footsteps clapped over the straw-littered wooden floor towards her. "And why might I do that?"_

_Elsa scrambled to cover her eyes when the blanket was suddenly torn off. The light nearly blinded her, and her eyes ached as they adjusted to the change. She blinked up at the two men standing over her. Beside her portly captor was a thin man clad in a red vest and black slacks, freshly shined riding boots reaching up to his knees. His black hair was slicked back on his head, and a thin mustache curled over his lip like a rat's tail._

_The new man grinned widely, showing his flat but very yellowed teeth. "Oohh. That's why…" The open feeling of vulnerability made Elsa scoot to the back of her cage, but the open bars did nothing to hide her. The way his eyes ran over her in a seemingly calculating way made her stomach do a somersault._

_She wanted her mother now more than ever._

_"Oh my oh my," he said almost excitedly. "Pale skin, white hair, chips of ice for eyes—why I think you're trying to sell me a child of the devil, Bratland. Pray tell how did you come by such an..._ icy _creature?"_

_The broker grunted. "Vikas said she stole some bread. Sold her to me to pay for it. I thought you might be interested, Mojik."_

_"Interested indeed…," he said, crouching to get a better look. Elsa pulled her legs harder against herself. "How much?"_

_"Eighty gold pieces."_

_"Sold," Mojik said without even a second of hesitation. He stood up and shook the broker's hand. "Pleasure doing business with you as always. Would you mind helping me secure them to the horses? I need to get moving to make it to the capitol by tomorrow night."_

_The broker grunted. He shoved open a lopsided cabinet on the wall and pulled out a couple of silver rings and chains. He tossed one of each to Mojik. "Careful, Mojik. She's a small one, she is. The small collar might not fit her yet."_

_Elsa stiffened when he opened the latch to her cage, a sickly sweet smile on his face. She tried to fight back when he tried to grab her, but a fierce grip on her ankle dragged her out of the cage that she suddenly wanted to stay inside of. She struggled fiercely, panic shooting through her veins when a small snap cracked by her ear before a cold weight pressed against her throat. She tried to bolt as soon as she was put down, but a yank backwards on the chain leash attached to her collar forced her back into Mojik's arms._

_"Feisty one you are," he growled under his breath as he tied her squirming hands together. "I'll have to fix that."_

_Mojik stood when he was finished, heading towards the exit. Elsa was forced to follow at his heels, a sharp yank telling her to keep up. She took special care to keep her mouth shut. The bruise on her face from trying to plead with the slave broker still stung enough to let her know that only silence would save her from a worsening punishment._

_Even though her lip was trembling and her eyes beginning to water, Elsa couldn't help the small gasp of awe that escaped her when she saw the caravan waiting outside. Horses and carriages surrounded the now seemingly small slave stable for as far as she could see. The barrage of scents, sounds, and colors almost overwhelmed her sensitive senses as she was led inside the massive line._

_The broker was tying the end of the chain leash from the other slave Mojik bought to a horse's saddle when the two found him. The portly man turned to them, looking mildly surprised. "Ya sure ya don't want the cage, Mojik? She won't last long walkin' ta the capitol."_

_"I know," he said offhandedly, tying Elsa's leash to a horse beside the other slave's. She flinched back and instinctively crouched to make herself look smaller when he turned and sneered at her. "This brat needs to be broken."_

_The broker shrugged. "Whatever ya say, mate. She's your property now."_

_Elsa felt her overwhelmed heart sink in her chest like a led weight. She was property now. Arctic blue eyes gazed at the slave beside her. He was tied up just as she was, his pale face gouty and his hair laying greasy and unkept down his face. She supposed she didn't look any better, but it's been a while since she saw her reflection._

_The small girl hung her head, looking at her dirty palms._

_She just wanted to go home._

_Wherever the heck that was._

 

* * *

 

"The walk was as horrible as you would expect. I passed out twice. That slave broker didn't exactly make an effort to give me any water or anything while I was with him. Mojik even more so. We walked through the night, but at least it rained."

"So…you were sold into a circus?" Anna asked cautiously.

Elsa numbly nodded her head. "Yeah. Sounds ridiculous, I know. We traveled around all sorts of different places. After the first show, I was locked in a cage instead of walking. I couldn't see anything most of the time. I just came out to do whatever Mojik wanted and then was tossed back in."

"What did you have to do?"

"Nothing really. I was thrown in a bigger cage for people to laugh at. At least…That's what happened for the first few years." Elsa looked away, an unseen pain causing her voice to crack.

 

* * *

 

_"Come ladies and gentlemen!" Mojik exclaimed with a dramatic wave of his arms. His pristine show-outfit seemed to glow in the low-lit tent. A coil of chain and his masters' whip were curled against his hip on his belt, the worn leather and metal rubbing silently against his new white slacks._

_A large iron cage sat in the middle, its hard bottom covered in a thin layer of dirty straw. A ten-year-old girl huddled in the furthest corner of the cage. She wore no shirt, opting to use the torn piece of once blue cloth to cover her head. Her white skin was two shades darker from dirt and grime, but she still managed to look ghostly pale since she hadn't been in the sun in gods know how long. She slowly shrunk on scared bare feet to the middle of the cage as people of middle and low class began to loudly gather around her, pressing their faces against the bars and trying to touch her._

_She peeked out of the collar of her shirt when she heard the door to her cell being opened. She quickly pulled the cloth over her head and pressed against the floor in a small ball, hoping against all hope that Mojik would just leave._

_Her petrified hopes were shattered when thin but rough hands yanked her shirt back down so it was properly on, even if it was two sizes too small now. She cringed at the horrific gasps that waved around her, whispers of 'monster' and 'demon' dominating her hearing._

_"See folks? It's a monster—an abomination. Do you not agree?!" he yelled, a thin rod stained black from dried blood in his hand._

_A chorus of cheers nearly tore Elsa's heart in two. She could feel her powers buzzing nervously under her skin, and she pulled her hands to her chest in an effort to conceal it._

_She cringed when a grip on the back of her neck dragged her to her feet and turned her around. If she wanted to, she could have changed into her tiger form and escaped since she no longer had her collar on, but she didn't dare do so in front of so many people._

_She reflexively raised her hands to protect herself when the first strike of the rod bruised her side. The crowd cheered. Coins were tossed into the cage with cries for more, and spittle of food from laughing viewers fell to the bottom of the cell._

_This was her life now. Every few days doing the same old 'show' before packing back into her small cage and traveling to the next town. She hated to say she grew used to it, but two years under Mojik's heel had all but crushed her._

_The shouts and yells of onlookers grew agitated when they only heard her silent cries of pain. It was a small comfort Elsa took, fighting back in her own way. They would never see her cry._

_Thankfully, the show was soon over. Elsa's skin was tender and bleeding where the rod had broken her flesh. She stayed on the ground where she was dropped while Mojik collected tips and buttered up onlookers until the last greasy body had left the dark tent._

_The door to her cage opened again for Mojik to enter. "Hehe looky here…thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven…" He turned his back to her while he picked up the remaining change hidden under the straw. Elsa stared at him with hollowed eyes, watching and waiting for him to be done so she could be taken back to her cage. It was a poor substitute for a home, but at least she knew she was safe in there. For the most part._

_The blonde girl let her eyes roam back to the front of her cell, her eyes widening to the size of diner plates when she saw the unlocked hinge to the metal door that kept her inside. A bud of hope blossomed in her chest, the feeling too much like that of terror for her to be at all elated at the discovery. She glanced between it and her master, the giggling man paying her and the open door no attention._

_Elsa shakily got to her feet, moving only half an inch at a time and stilling her breath to near silence. She had never tried to escape before. Her collar had always been on, and she was only ever out of her cage to bare through Mojik's sick performances._

_But now her collar was off. The door was open. Now she just had to move._

_She silently padded to the opening. Just a few more steps. Though there probably wasn't really any difference, she swore that the air outside of the cage was fresher than that inside._

_Elsa felt her heart skip, and she dared to grin._ I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna—

_"Hey!" a rough scramble and thunder of footsteps ran towards her. Elsa jumped in fright, her body freezing for a split second before the dreaded feeling of danger made her instinctively dive for the exit._

_Maybe if she were bigger, she would have made it._

_The breath wheezed out of her small lungs when she was tackled to the cage floor. She flailed desperately, but thick arms much stronger than her own held her tight._

_"No!" she cried. She was so close. The door was still open. She had literally tasted her own freedom._

_"Tried to run away, did ya?" Mojik snarled. "I'll teach ya ho—"_

_The ebony-haired man reeled back in pain when fangs dug deep into his skin. His eyes widened in disbelief when the small body beneath him expanded and thickened into a striped furry beast. It was no bigger than his torso, like some of the lion cubs he had kept in the past. It twisted its body in his arms, clawing and biting at his flesh and tearing at his new clothes._

_The man gritted his teeth. With a loud grunt, he lifted the heavy cat and threw it against the opposite side of the cage before dashing forward to lock the door. The tiger slumped against the bars, shaking its head and whining in pain._

_Mojik's breathes came fast and furious between clenched teeth. "You_ devil _!" He strode to the striped cat, the silver beast flattening its ears and tucking its tail between its legs as it scooted away from his advance. When the feeling of cold steel touched its back, it morphed back into an equally terrified blue-eyed child._

_Elsa's body shook like a trembling leaf, cold terror rushing down her body like a freezing cold wave. Her lip trembled in an attempt to plead mercy, but her body just wouldn't move._

_Mojik grabbed her jaw, yanking her head back so hard that her skull banged against the bars and made her see white. Her hands grabbed at his bigger arm, trying to somehow loosen the bone-crushing grip. She winced when a metal snap around her neck pinched the skin on the side of her throat._

_A sudden freezing feeling shot up Mojik's arm, forcing him to release her in a yelp of pain. He quickly scratched away at the ice that had frosted over his skin. He looked back at Elsa, a thin film of frost creeping up the bars and on the floor around her._

_Elsa shook her head. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't control it. Her mother had told her what would happen if she showed her powers._

_"You…you…" he seethed, his face red with blind rage. "HOW **DARE**  YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME!" Elsa flinched from the boom in his voice and raised her hands over her head defensively. Mojik grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, quickly snapping her chain leash on before dragging her towards the door. _

_Elsa's mouth opened and closed dumbly as she was pulled out of the cage and across the tent. Mojik threw her against a thick bare wooden log that served as the main support beam. She grunted in pain, but she didn't have any time to collect herself before her arms were pulled so that she was hugging the log. Her arms could barely reach all the way around it. She choked slightly when her leash was pulled and used to tie her hands together._

_Mojik tore the back of her shirt open, a kiss of cold air making her shiver. Despite her immediate peril, Elsa couldn't help the way her heart ached when the last token from her mother was destroyed._

_Footsteps walked away from her. Elsa tried to look back, but she couldn't strain her neck enough to see where Mojik had gone. "I'll teach you to keep secrets from me," he snarled. Elsa heard a slide of cloth and a cracking snap. "I am your_ **master** _! You will learn to treat me with respect!" He panted with rage, his voice dying to a vengeful sneer. "Consider this your warning. Disobey me or raise a hand against me again, and I promise you will_ not _be able to walk away when I'm done with you!"_

_Elsa trembled at the man's words. She flinched when there was another snap. She didn't have time to figure out what it was until the first lash of a whip struck against her exposed back._

 

* * *

 

_Everything hurt. Her back felt like the skin had been torn from her flesh and then rolled in hot salt. Like someone had pressed a red-hot brand against her. She feebly moved to adjust her position but found no alleviation from the pain._

_She was outside. Granted, she was back in her cage, but she was outside nonetheless. Mojik had chained her wrists together and dragged her cage out there, looping her leash through the bars and tying the end to a wooden stake. He left her without the blanket on top. It made her feel almost naked, and she wished for the first time that he had covered it up._

_It was snowing again, flecks of white falling against a velvet black sky. A thin coating of it had collected over her curled up body. She shivered from the cold, wishing her collar and shackles were off so she could shift to warm herself up. Her mother had told her that she would get warmer as she grew up, as her powers matured._

_But that did no good for her now._

_Elsa looked up. She had almost forgotten what the stars looked like. She had always found them beautiful, something constant and unchanging that she could look to for comfort._

_She sniffled. She reached out her trembling hands and scooped some snow into her cage, carefully molding it into a small lump. Elsa forced a smile. It looked like a mound of mashed potatoes. She poked her finger into it to give it eyes and a misshapen smile._

_"Hi…I'm Olaf…" she said in a purposefully deep voice that came out of her dry throat more as a hoarse whisper. She poked her fingers around the sides of the lump in an effort to make arms. "…and I like warm hugs…"_

_Elsa felt her face warm up. She hiccuped when her first tears began to fill into her eyes, making her vision blurry. Her natural instinct was to force them back down, but since no one else was around, what was the point?_

_"…I love you, Olaf."_

_She was trapped and alone…so she let the tears fall._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Tis but only half of Elsa's past. More is yet to come. **
> 
> ** Hope ya enjoyed **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	23. Crow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen **

"Mojik didn't care about my powers. Not like how I thought he would, anyways. He wasn't scared of me, but he wasn't stupid either. He knew if people found out about me that I would probably be killed." Elsa shuffled in her seat, adjusting her position on the headboard. "So naturally he kept the whole thing under wraps and…punished me whenever I slipped up. But…he did use my changing or morphing or whatever you want to call it as another act. It wasn't nearly as bad as the one I was doing before, but I still hated it."

Anna leaned against her shoulder, humming her understanding.

Elsa looked down at her broken arm. "I think I was twelve or thirteen when we packed up everything and hopped on a ship to Arendelle. We only had one show here. In a small village on the skirts of the Northern Mountains."

The redhead tucked on her side blinked questioningly. "Why did you guys leave?"

Elsa laughed bitterly. "Well, if you want to be technical, I was the only one that left."

"You escaped?"

"For a few seconds, yes."

"But…?" Anna added tentatively, sensing there was more.

Elsa sighed. "But then I met Crow."

 

* * *

 

_Beads of blood ran down Elsa's back, thin red tears that poked through skin discolored with bruises and riveted with a vague outline of bone._

Snap!

_She sucked in a sharp breath and tensed against the log post. Her legs trembled and her tied hands shook, minuscule splinters rubbing into her joints._

_"Please, s-sir, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mea—!"_

Snap!

_Elsa's plea was cut short by a cry of pain when the worn leather whip descended on her again. The fourteenth lash._

_Mojik snarled behind her. "How many times have I told you to keep that bloody curse of yours under control! I can't have it snowing in the tents when people get in! How the hell do you expect me to explain that?!"_

_Elsa hiccuped. "I w-won't do it again, sir. I-I promise, sir," she pleaded, her voice a pained whine._

_To her forever grateful relief, she was spared any further lashing. She kept her heavy sigh of relief to herself when Mojik roughly pulled down her shirt over her bloody back and unchained her hands._

_He grabbed a handful of her shirt collar and pulled her to his face, their noses almost touching. She was as tall as him now. She had grown quite a bit over the past four years. Now she could sit through even a blizzard without so much as a shiver, and fangs like those her mother had were beginning to enlongen at her canines._

_She flinched back at the sudden close proximity to the enraged man. "You had best keep good on that promise, girl!" He spun on his heel, dragging her behind him. The two exited the main tent, Mojik storming through the patchy summer grass to the small tent that housed her show-cage and Elsa stumbling to keep up. He whipped open the front flap and crossed the distance to the barred prison in a few quick strides before opening the door and tossing her inside. If she were smaller, Elsa would have fallen from the thrust, but now she only stuttered her step before walking inside._

_"We're going to have a big crowd tonight," he said as he yanked her leash through the bars. Elsa caught herself before her head hit the metal, Mojik's thinning hands quickly unlatching her collar. "You're gonna be doing yer act with Sterk again." He paused to glare at her, icy blue shrinking before chocolate brown. "You'd best not mess up this time."_

_Elsa could only nod obediently, trying to look submissive to get him to leave. It worked, as always, and the ebony-haired man exited the tent in a flourish, leaving her until he needed her in the 'show' tonight._

_Elsa rubbed her tender throat. She stiffly walked to the far end of the cage and gently sat on the ground, mindful of her tender back. If she could reach she would have used her powers to cool her new wounds, but she simply learned to deal with it. It wasn't worth getting caught and facing a worse punishment._

_The blonde sighed, leaning her head against the bars and closing her eyes in hopes of getting some rest for tonight. Personally, she would have gladly taken being laughed at in a cage over preforming with Sterk._

_"—all I'm sayin' is how much is this information worth to ya?"_

_Elsa sat up in her cage, tilting her head at the sound of voices coming from a ways outside her tent._

_"It's worth nothing. Nothing at all. You gentlemen are mistaken. Come to the show tonight and I'll show how you're mistaken."_

Mojik? _she thought, furrowing her brow in confusion. He sounded pretty flustered. For all that she's known him, Mojik was always confident, even when he was wrong and even when he knew he was wrong._

_Another voice, different from the first, spoke again. "Aye, we're comin' ta the show. But I don't think our boss would be too keen ta know you have yerself a slave, mister. Slavery's banned in Arendelle, don't ya know? Has been for two years now."_

_Elsa could practically hear Mojik shaking. "F-Fine. Fifteen silver pieces for each of you, alright? Just keep your traps shut."_

_The two men laughed. "Pleasure doin' business with ya, sir. In fact, we'll even do ya a little favor. Our boss has us in town to resupply tonight, so we'll put a word in edgewise about_ all _of us seein' yer little show. We get some silver, you get some silver, everyone goes home happy."_

_Mojik hesitated. "Fine. Just keep quiet and don't cause any trouble. I've got enough trouble to last me a lifetime."_

_Elsa let herself laugh._ He has trouble. _She slumped back against the cage bars, running her fingers through her dirty bangs before tightening her ponytail._  I can only imagine how hard that is.

 

* * *

 

_Cheers, shouts, and whistles blared at a deafening volume around the tent, bodies packed inside to the point of almost bursting. Elsa thought it had smelled vile before, but the low-class villagers apparently didn't bathe as often as even she did._

_Elsa jumped to the side of the cage when a swipe of a clawed paw tried to catch her muzzle. The black bear in front of her roared in frustration when the silver tiger yet again danced around its attacks. It was smaller than her, but that didn't stop it from going at her with all it had. They were only fifteen minutes into the fight and the crowd was already growing frustrated that she wouldn't attack back._

_She didn't want to fight. Even if Sterk would be more than happy to tear her throat out, it pained her to think of hurting him. They were both on the same team, both mistreated and kept in cages like the monsters people thought they were._

_"What the hell are you doing?!" boomed Mojik's voice at the side of the cage. Elsa dodged again, the man's face darkening two shades of red when she did. "Fight back! Fight back, dammit, or you'll be on the post till sunrise!"_

_Elsa glanced at him, ears flattened to her skull. She didn't want to fight, but she definitely didn't want to be punished more than she knew she would be for resisting._

_She roared in pain when strong jaws clamped deep into her shoulder in her moment of distraction. Sterk wrapped his bulky arms around her shoulders, pushing forward to try and take her to the ground. Elsa gritted her fangs and reluctantly dug her claws into his back. She pushed against his force, forcing the both of them onto their hind legs. The crowd hooted excitedly._

_Elsa deeply bit into Sterk's neck. The black bear released her shoulder with a painful snarl, scratching his claws down her side and trying to crane his head to snap at her ear. The silver tiger shook her head and pushed against him. They stood at a heated standoff with Sterk batting desperately against her before he finally gave in and fell on his back._

_Elsa instinctively readjusted her grip from the side of his neck to his throat, growling and snarling to match his roars. She dug her hind paws into his stomach and put warning pressure on his jugular._

_Finally, Sterk slumped against the cage floor, submissively relaxing his body and whining in hopes for mercy. Elsa's heart cracked at the broken, pitiful sound, but her body stayed as it was for a few more seconds to ensure he had given up before she released him. The silver tiger snarled at her downed opponent once more before she stalked back to her side of the cage, the black bear huddling injured on the ground._

_Elsa tried to spit to get rid of the taste of blood in her mouth. It was an almost taunting sensation, a cruel reminder that she had brought harm to an unwilling opponent. She pawed at her bloody muzzle with a miserable grunt and curled her tail close to her body when she felt dirty fingers try to grab it from between the bars._

_The door opened and closed on the opposite side of the cage. She didn't have to look to know that Sterk had been chained up and dragged away, Mojik's overconfident steps echoing on the cell floor in his wake. The ebony-haired man waved his arms in a grand flourish. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for coming out tonight! The Jcasrey circus thanks you for patronage and we will see you all next—"_

_"Hold up onnnnne minuteee!" hollered a deep voice. The crowd parted, willingly and forcefully, as a bearded ginger bloke stumbled to the front of the cage, nearly falling against the bars but managing to catch himself on meaty hands. Elsa cringed. She could smell the thick alcohol on his breath from ten feet away. The fiery-haired man was soon accompanied by equally large companions._

_"Hello, sir," Mojik greeted hesitantly. "…Is there something I can help you with?"_

_The man jerked a thick finger at Elsa. "That pussy of yers ain't worth five silvers, mate! I came 'ere ta see a fight, not a fuckin' animal dance!" His companions nodded behind him. "That fight was stacked! Bloody hell, I bet I could even beat that cat! Gimme back my money, ya cheat!"_

_The crowd of silent people around him erupted into angry cries at the sound of a refund, bodies charging the cage and demanding pay. Mojik stood there as calm as ever, licking his lips at the aggressive display._

_"And exactly how much would you bet you could take on my beast, good sir?" Mojik yelled over the crowd._

_The man blinked in surprise, the crowd around him hesitating as well. His drunkenly flushed face turned away for a second to think before glaring back. "I'd wager fifty silver pieces!" He threw his hands against the cage. "I'd take down that damn animal with ma bare hands!"_

_A devilish grin sliced across Mojik's face. He waved his arm to the front of the cage. "I'll take you up on that bet, my fine man. By all means, if you really think you can defeat it, then you are more than welcome to try." He turned around to address the crowd. "This man wagers he can take down this ferocious beast! If he dares to try and succeeds, I'll not only give him his winnings, but give everyone their five silvers back!"_

_The crowd exploded into cheers, the red-haired man looking around rather nervously when everyone looked to him expectantly. Mojik grinned at his baffled face. "This way, sir. Can't keep the masses waiting."_

_He sneered and spat at the ground, lumbering to the cage entrance where he and Mojik exchanged places before the door was locked securely behind him. The large man's feet made the thick sheet metal shake beneath Elsa's paws._

_The silver tiger raised her hackles and lowered her ears in the presence of her new opponent. Mojik shot her a glare from the outside edge of the cage, his body nearly lost in a sea of cheering people. Elsa habitually curled her tail around her body when he tightened his hand on the whip on his hip and mouthed something that she couldn't quite catch because of his mustache._

_But she could only imagine that, for her own sake, she'd better not lose._

_Icy blue eyes snapped to the lumbering opponent in front of her. Elsa's heart sped up, beating against her ribcage like a trampling horse. She couldn't fight him. It was one thing to fight Sterk, but this was a person. A person who could scream when they bled. A person who could cry when they were hurt, who could look back on the scars dealt to them by others and relive the pain over and over._

_She knew she wasn't human, but they had to feel the same way, right?_

_The bearded man yelled like a soldier charging into battle, rushing at her with his thick arms outstretched to grab her. Elsa shrunk back at the sudden approach and jumped over his back, her legs kicking him faster in his charge as she gracefully landed on the opposite side of the cage. The man was too inebriated to stop himself and rammed face-first into the iron bars._

_He turned with a snarl, his forehead a painful shade of red. "Fight me, you bitch!" He came at her again and swung his fist. Elsa dodged to the side and made a move to dart past him to the opposite side of the cage, but a hard yank on the fur at the scruff of her neck pulled her backwards. She was stunned from the sudden action, not able to move for the two seconds it took for the man to catch her in a powerful headlock._

_The crowd around them shrieked in twisted thrill. Elsa whipped her body around in an attempt at escape, but her struggles only made him tighten his grip._

_Panic shot like lightening throughout her body. She choked and clawed at his arm, blood flying freely as her attacks grew desperate. When the man finally had enough, he released her, the gasping tiger stumbling to the other side of the cage._

_"What the hell are you doing?!" she heard Mojik's voice scream as she limped away. "I said WIN!"_

_Elsa whined helplessly, turning to her opponent. The man's face flushed as red as his hair. His blood-dripping fists clenched into ghostly white balls at his sides._

_"That's it!" he bellowed. His hand dug into his saggy boot and whipped out a menacing looking knife as long and thick as his fist. "I'm puttin' an end ta this!"_

_Elsa's jaw dropped open in horror. The man lunged at her, stabbing and slashing like a deranged butcher. She only managed to narrowly avoid his attacks, the blade glancing her flank and drawing a thick stream of blood._

_She stumbled over her own paws from the cold blow. A boot digging into her stomach threw her against the bars, knocking the wind clean out of her. She shook her head and looked up, her ears falling back and her eyes widening when she saw the bloody knife quickly descending towards her._

_She never did quite know what happened next. One second she was on the ground awaiting her death. Then the world just seemed to stop and slow, colors blending together in a myriad collage until it all faded to red._

_The next second she was prying her bloody fangs from the redheaded man's torn throat._

_Everything seemed to buzz and hum sharply in her ears until the terrified and angry screams of the crowd erupted around her. She tried to move away from the body, but her legs wouldn't budge._

No.

_The man's once fiery eyes were now glazed and lifeless, an almost sad expression. Out of the corner of her eye Elsa could see his companions shaking the sides of the cage in grief._

No…

_She finally moved, backing away from her kill and shaking her head in horror._

No. I…I didn't mean to…I-I don't mean…

_The door to her cage was slammed open. When heavy boots stormed towards her, she lifted her head. The once excited onlookers were separated into what seemed like two groups, one group trampling over each other to escape the tent and the other screaming righteous fury and shaking her cage to get inside. The latter was following close behind Mojik as he all but ran to her, his face beat red and simmering with anger._

_Elsa whimpered at the sight. She instinctively tried to make herself look smaller in front of the new threats, but ended up accidentally changing back to her human self. The approaching men paused in confused, fearful shock, some whispering 'witch' while others screamed 'monster' and ran. Mojik was the only one undeterred in his path towards her._

_She yelped when he grabbed her shirt and dragged her to her feet. She could see that he was screaming at her, but the deafening pounding of her frantic heart drowned out everything to a dull rumble of running and screams._

_Her vision cracked to white when he threw her to the ground. The breath knocked out of her, and she waited in darkness and deafness for a handful of agonizing seconds before her senses returned to her._

_The feeling of cold metal hitting her neck made her jump and suck in a chilling breath. Her first instinct was to think about the knife that the redheaded man had._

_So she just reacted._

_"…Uh…Ga…h…"_

_Elsa looked up when she felt something warm fall against her cheek, its metallic scent forcing its way through her nostrils and dominating her senses. Her scream came out as a squeaked hiccup when she found Mojik leaning over her, thick spikes of ice skewering him like a sick pin cushion._

_Her breath caught to an alarming rate, her body shaking and her eyes blurring with panicked tears._ No. No I didn't. No. Nononono…

_Elsa jumped up and darted around the dying man's body, every cell in her body screaming to get away. To just get away and escape this living nightmare._

_Two large bodies in front of her forced her to stumble to a halt before she made it even a few feet towards the cell door. The men held out their hands to prevent her from running around them, and they slowly inched towards her, forcing her back to keep her distance from them._

_"Easy, lass…" one of them said in a strained voice. His voice was somewhat familiar, and if she were in her right senses, Elsa would have been able to hear that he was one of the men arguing with Mojik in front of her tent that morning._

_The blonde shook her head, backing away from the men as their acquaintances filed through the cell door behind them. Unless she could squeeze through the bars, there was no escape for her now._

_Elsa shakily held up her hands. "S-Stay back," she threatened in a squeaky voice as tears rained down her face. The men continued their advance, and Elsa jumped when her back hit the steel bars. "P-Please just…s-stay away…Just stay awa—"_

_A thick hand curled around her face and yanked her back against the bars, a thick cloth pressing over her mouth and nose. Ice pulsed around the cage when she screamed into the calloused skin and struggled to escape. Her palms frosted over during her tug at the unrelenting hand, but one of the men in front of her grabbed her wrists to keep her from using her powers._

_She knew she should be shifting to escape, but the overwhelmingly sweet scent of the cloth on her face was numbing her mind at a terrifying rate. Though her panic was willing her to fight, her movements eventually died to a mild struggle, her suddenly heavy eyelids falling closed before she fell into unconsciousness._

 

* * *

 

_"You won't do it."_

_"You bet yer ass I would."_

_"Go fer it then. There's nothin' stopping you, ya yellow-bellied bluffer."_

_"Shut up! You know good and well what Quade would do to me if I tried. You heard his orders. No touchin'."_

_"Bullshit. Yer just afraid the bitch will freeze yer dick off."_

_Elsa shuffled to adjust her seat on the dirt ground, bark roughly scratching against her back. It was her second night traveling with the group of men that had taken her after the…incident. Her feet were cracked and bleeding from the long days walking that they forced her to do behind their horses. If she could, she would have gladly torn her shirt apart to wrap them up for cushioning._

_Their camp was larger than it was the night before. From what she could see, she would guess that they had joined masses without another group. There were over a dozen tents crowded into the clearing they had found, a large fire blazing in the center. Elsa had her wrists chained behind her back around a thin tree just barely in the fire's light. She didn't have her collar on (since it was probably still on Mojik's body), but a thick chain tied around her neck was enough of a rough substitute to keep her human._

_A painful snap against her head that she was quickly growing used to made her turn to where she felt the projectile fire from. Of all the men in the camp, there was only one boy. If she had to guess, she would say that he was roughly her age, maybe a year or two younger (or maybe older), but it was hard to tell. Whatever the case may be, she was quickly growing to not like this boy and his strange stick and string that he would use to shoot rocks at her head._

_The boys' bright blonde head popped up from the bushes with a mischievous smirk. "Gotcha' again!" he yelled before shifting through the grass at his feet for more ammo. Elsa scowled, daring to bare her teeth and growl at the little nuisance. The boy simply smiled brightly in return, holding up the strange stick and aiming at her. "You're such a meanie, lady. Why don't you—"_

_A hand smacking him upside the head quickly shut him up and knocked the stick from his hand. The new arrival, a man who she thinks was part of the group that joined them that night, towered over the boy like a mountain over a bush. He wore a leather trenchcoat with a sword at his hip, his ebony hair lazily combed and his beard scruffing over his chin. "Boy..." he growled in a scolding manner. "How many times 'ave I told ya not ta shot people? Ya can take an eye out with that slingshot if yer not careful."_

_The boy rubbed his head, shooting the larger man a playful glare. "You just say that cuz I got better aim than you, ya old Crow."_

_The man smirked and rolled his grey eyes. "Enough with the names, boy. It's Mr. Quade or sir to you, ya hear me? Now off with ya. Oskar says dinner's ready."_

_"Whatever ya say…" he drawled as he skirted around him. He smirked before he scampered away._

_Quade (or Crow…Elsa wasn't entirely sure about the whole name thing) rubbed his eyes and muttered under his breath. He turned to the side, showing Elsa for the first time that he had a waterskin and a loaf of bread tucked under his arm. The blonde impulsively sat up at the smell of the bread, her chains softly clanking together. She hadn't eaten since the day before she was taken, almost three days ago._

_Quade strode towards her. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with that runt," he mumbled. His stormy grey eyes found hers, and she flinched at the glance before defensively tucking her legs to her chest._

_"Oi Oi don't be scared now," he said as he sat on the ground beside her. Elsa tried to scoot away, but her arms were wrapped too tightly around the tree for her to move. The feeling of a large hand on her shoulder made her muscles lock up. "Lass, I'm not gonna hurt ya," Quade said in a gruffly soft voice. The loaf of bread entered into her downturned vision. "See? I'm just here to feed ya."_

_Elsa chanced a glance at the man. His sun-kissed face was wrinkled into a kind-looking smile. He held the bread at her lips. "Go on, then. Eat."_

_Despite her blaring distrust for the man, hunger made Elsa bite into the bread with gusto and tear off a mouthful. She barely chewed before she swallowed, desperate to have something fill the gaping hole in her stomach. Her dry throat nearly choked on it, but she took another large bite anyways, not hesitating to swallow again even when the dry food made her cough._

_"Woah there." The loaf was pulled away from her, Elsa desperately craning to catch it before it got too far away. She flinched in surprise when the cold mouthpiece of the waterskin was pressed against her lips and tilted back. Cool water moistened her insides in slick relief. The blonde chugged down the liquid, awkwardly tilting her head down to increase the flow of the water. She nearly whined when a hand on the back of her head forced her to lean back and drink normally. "Not so fast now. You'll choke."_

_Her meal, though bland, soon filled the ache in her abdomen. Without food to distract her, Elsa was able to get a look at her new captor. The man was looking at her curiously, not minding in the least when she looked up and caught him staring._

_"You're a lot younger than I thought…" she heard him mumble. He blinked and shook his head. "Ah ugh…I'm sorry if my men've been a little crude to ya. They're loyal to a fault, but their morals need some definite fixin'." He looked at her again. "You have a name, lass?"_

_Elsa shrunk against her tree, simply staring back and not even thinking about opening her mouth. Talking always got her in trouble. Even if she was asked, silence was always safer than responding._

_Quade frowned. "Yer not much of a talker are ya?"_

_Elsa didn't move or speak, staring at him like a frightened statue._

_Quade sighed. "It's probably for the best I suppose. Nothing personal, but I do have ta bring you back to the king. Yer wanted fer murder, ya know."_

_Elsa blinked._ King?  _She had very limited knowledge about anything besides basic survival, let alone politics, but she did know what a king was. From where they were before they got on the boat to come to this land, she had heard people talk of kings as terrible men. Men who slaughtered without a second thought and had souls blacker than pitch._

_She flinched when Quade again put his hand on her shoulder. "Get some sleep, lass. We'll be in Arendelle in two days. You can ride in the wagon the rest of the way."_

 

* * *

 

"Wait a second," Anna blurted, interrupting Elsa before she could continue. The redhead sat up. "Crow was… _nice_  to you?" she squeaked. Her face scrunched in unbelieving confusion. "And he  _wanted_ to be called Quade?"

Elsa pushed up on her arms to sit up as well, the two now facing each other. "When I first met him, yes."

"What the heck happened to him?"

Elsa cleared her throat, a thick knot bobbing in her throat as she looked down at her fiddling hands. "I…I…I mean I did something that…well…" The blonde's shoulders sagged defeatedly, her head lowering. "I don't want to talk about it anymore…," she said in a small voice.

Anna leaned back. "But—"

"Anna," the blonde interrupted, her voice dripping with sudden exhaustion. She forced herself to look up at the redhead. Anna had never seen Elsa look so vulnerable before. She was completely deflated, her arctic eyes a storm of glossy iris. "Please…"

The redhead quirked a small smile of understanding. "Okay, Elsa. I won't pry. Now come 'ere." She held her arms open, Elsa quickly shuffling into the princess' embrace. A pale face pressed against her neck and a splinted and healthy arm curled around her torso to pull her closer.

"You wanna go to bed?" she asked softly, petting thick white gold locks.

Elsa nodded against her shoulder before she pulled away. The blonde looked almost emotionless, not saying a word as she got off the bed and silently made for the door.

A pair of arms circling around her waist made Elsa pause. Anna pressed her face against the blonde's shoulder, the teal and black of her back's mark pressing warmly against her cheek. Elsa's eyes widened fractionally when she felt herself being gently pulled back towards the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked plainly.

Anna released her grip so Elsa could turn to face her. The redhead climbed on the bed and patted the empty space next to her. "We're going to bed."

Elsa blinked. It took only a span of two seconds for her face to go from ghostly stoic to beat red. "W-What?" she squeaked. She sputtered, scratching her cheek and looking anywhere but at the girl trying to invite her into her bed. "B-But Anna th—"

"Elsa. We've slept together before...sortof." Anna said jokingly, crossing her arms. "Just get in the bed."

Elsa arched an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure I would have remembered something like that. The closest we ever got to that was when I kept you from freezing the night after we went over a waterfall."

Teal eyes blinked curiously. "You…Wait, what?" Her eyes widened in understanding. "Ohhh that's why I felt so warm." She smirked at the blonde and shot her a teasing glare through half-lidded eyes. "Elsa, I didn't think you the type to take advantage of an unconscious woman."

"Shut up…" she mumbled, her face heating up again.

Anna rolled her eyes and patted the bed again. "Come on," she said. "If you really think I'm going to let you sleep alone after going through all…all  _that_  again, then you're out of your mind. Now get in here before I drag you in."

Elsa gave a small grin as she once climbed into the bed. Anna smiled triumphantly and pulled back the covers as she plopped her injured body next to hers, her limbs squishing into the too-soft mattress. The two kept to their own sides of the bed. Though a certain redhead would have loved to cuddle with her favorite blonde, she could tell that she wanted her space, and she was more than willing to give it to her. For now at least.

"Comfortable?"

Elsa was lying on her stomach, her face buried into one of her pillows. "Hmmm," came her muffled response.

"Good." Anna settled down on her side and looked up at the ceiling, her arms tucked behind her head. "I want our first true experience sleeping together to be a good one. Though it is a little unfair that you have one up on me."

"Anna, go to sleep."

The redhead continued, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "You'll have to make that up, ya know. I expect full chocolate dibs for at least two weeks. And don't get me started on the—"

A pillow smacked her face, the soft material temporally blinding her before she pulled it off and hugged it to her abdomen. She scowled and turned to her bed's second occupant. "Now that was just plain rude, Elsa."

The blonde said nothing as she crawled across the bed before plopping down over the pillow Anna was holding to her chest. She buried her face into the Anna-smelling cushion, her arms cradling her head from its underside and her palms pressing warmly against Anna's abdomen.

"Anna. Sleep. Now," she mumbled.

The redhead laughed. She laid one of her arms over Elsa's back and gently scratched small circles over the scared ivory skin like she remembered her mother doing to her when she was little. Her smile nearly split her face when she felt a purr resonate from the chest beneath her hand.

She traced her nails around the crocus at her shoulderblades. It was strange, she thought, for Elsa's mark to be on her back where no one could see it while hers was on her head. It was intriguing to say the least.

She decided to think on it no more, resigning herself to sleep. But if she had stayed awake, she might have figured out the reason. The reason why the two marks were so alike yet so different.

She might have figured out that it was a mark on two lovers to show love for their whole being, even those things they loathed most about themselves.

_A mark on her head, a mark on her back. For one who hated her mind, and for one who despised her past._

_A stripe for the princess, a crest for the tiger._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Yeaaaaaaa **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	24. A Spoonful of Sugar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

**_"ELSAAA!"_ **

Kai jumped, dropping a salad plate. He quickly calmed himself before looking at the pieces of broken porcelain at his feet. Luckily there were eight thousand others, so it wasn't that much of a loss.

The head butler sighed. _Here we go again…_

He peaked his head into the hallway at the familiar sound of running feet. He wasn't surprised in the least when it was quickly followed by a surprised scream and a metal crash. The newest addition to the castle's residents rolled past him with one of the kitchen staff before the two halted in a tangled heap, a metal basin rolling across the carpet while its light purple contents dripped from the disgruntled bundle.

Clad in her light grey pajama pants and shirt, Elsa cradled her broken arm to her chest from the sudden jarring of her fall. She winced heavily, but she still tried to scramble to her feet and continue her sprint. Her head whipped up to the opposite end of the hallway and paled to a ghostly white. Furiously approaching stomps and angry mutterings quickly closed in on the blonde.

Kai watched in amusement as Elsa cowered against the wall, not bothering to continue her vain attempt at escape. "A-Anna," she stuttered in a cracking voice, trying to smile. "I-I was just—"

"What the  _hell_  are you doing?!" the redhead screamed. She leered up to the blonde, fury cracking around her like static. "You are  _supposed_  to be in  _bed_!"

Elsa swallowed hard. A cold sweat beaded on her forehead. "I-I was, I swear! I just—" The blonde yelped when a vice grip on her good arm began dragging her back down the hall.

"Dr. Geri said bedrest for six weeks! _Six_  weeks! Has it been six weeks?! No!"

Elsa feebly reached in the direction of the castle door as Anna dragged her down the hall. "I swear I'm fine! Please, I can't stay in here anymore!"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Elsa! Your arm is still in a splint, and gods know what damage you have that we can't see! To bed with you!"

Kai shook his head, picking up the broken pieces of plate as Elsa's desperate pleas faded down the hall. It was her third escape attempt this week, but he had to give her credit for trying. An angry Anna was not a force to be reckoned with.  _She almost got to the door this time..._

 

* * *

 

Anna all but threw Elsa back into her bed and pulled the torn up covers over her body. The blonde fitfully kicked her legs, nearly knocking the blankets off the bed.

"Too hot," she whined. She sat up in an attempt to stand. "Maybe a little time out in the snow will—"

"No." Anna gently yet forcefully pressed her back against the bed, tucking the blanket up to her chin. "Cool yourself off and deal with it. You still have one more week." The redhead plopped onto the stool at Elsa's bedside and picked up a dark bottle from the nightstand. She held it up against the candlelight before turning to glare at the blonde in her bed. "Did you take your medicine?"

"Yes."

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "Elsa…," she said in a warning tone.

The blonde crossed her arms over her blanket. "I took my medicine," she ground out.

"Did you take the medicine Dr. Geri gave you?"

Elsa huffed and looked away.

Anna put her hands on her hips and scowled. "Elsa!"

"I am  _not_ drinking that demon juice! You can't trust something that doesn't have a scent, Anna! It's not natural!"

Groaning, Anna squeezed the bridge of her nose and gritted her teeth, trying to calm the need to scream and whack some sense into the woman that she had to remind herself that she loved. "You can't just drink that backwoods grass water crap that you make, Elsa. That's fine for if you're in the middle of nowhere, but you need  _real_ medicine. Your wounds are serious." She grabbed the bottle of medicine and yanked off its cork before pouring a spoonful of its contents. Anna struggled to contain her grimace. She knew from experience that what it lacked in scent, it certainly made up in taste and texture.

She held out the spoonful of dark colored liquid to Elsa. "Take it."

"No."

Anna's shoulders sagged. "Come on, Elsa. Don't you want to get better?"

"I am getting better."

She held out the spoon further. "Take it." The blonde stared straight at the ceiling, not even sparing her a glance. Anna waved the spoon in front of her face. "If you take it, I'll give you chocolateeee."

Elsa knocked the spoon out of her hand, the utensil and its contents dropping to the floor. "I said  _no_!"

Anna blinked in surprise at the sudden lash out. Elsa glared at her for a second longer before she pointedly turned on her side. True, the blonde was healed for the most part, her bandages were almost all off and her arm was nearly healed, but she wasn't quite at a hundred percent. Anna didn't quite understand why Elsa was so adamant in insisting that nothing was wrong.

But then again, being inside for so long has made her rather moody.

The redhead released a heavy defeated sigh. "I'm sorry, Elsa…" She gently placed a hand on Elsa's side, rubbing up and down apologetically. She instantly felt the tension in Elsa's muscles melt under her ministrations, but she still didn't turn to look at her. "If you don't want to take it, fine. I'm sorry." Her rubs gradually turned into soft scratches, something that Anna had learned very quickly was one of Elsa's favorite things. "Please forgive me?"

Elsa stubbornly tried to stay angry, but the sincerity of Anna's voice and the lull of her touch made her put her guard down. She let herself enjoy the soft scratches for a minute longer before she heard the clink of glass on wood when Anna put the medicine back on the nightstand. When she felt the hand on her side stop and gently pull her onto her back, she let herself be moved with the force like a ragdoll, coming face to face with grinning teal.

Any surprised thought Elsa might have formed from the redhead's suddenly close appearance evaporated when a hand slowly trailed up her arm, fingers barely grazing over her skin in a way that instantly gave her goosebumps. She sucked in a sharp cold breath, gawking slightly at darkening teal eyes. Anna pressed a soft, teasing kiss at the corner of her mouth. The touch was faint and lingering, just out of reach of Elsa's lips. Not being one to like a tease, Elsa turned her head to kiss her properly. She nearly whined when she felt Anna smirk, adamantly keeping her lips closed and keeping the kiss chaste.

Elsa nibbled on the redhead's bottom lip in a silent request for entrance. Anna must have felt the growing need in the act, for she simply laughed and skimmed her lips away to kiss the corner of her mouth again. Elsa chased after her. She probed with tongue and all manner manipulating against Anna's lips for the redhead to give in to her.

Anna suddenly pressed hard against her lips, forcing her head against the mattress and opening her mouth in a surprisingly deep kiss. Elsa's initial happiness broke and shattered like a window struck by a stone when she felt bitter lukewarm liquid pooling at the back of her throat.

The blonde immediately tried to push her off, but Anna had managed to pin her wrists above her head in her distraction, making any movement to free herself painful on her still broken forearm. She growled and tried to turn her head away but Anna simply pressed her harder into the pillow when she moved.

Anna waited for every last drop of medicine to fall from her mouth into Elsa's. It tasted disgusting, but the kiss seemed to dull the effect, for her at least. She slid her tongue over Elsa's in apology, using her free hand to stroke down Elsa's throat to encourage her to swallow. The growling blonde resisted valiantly, but eventually Anna's coaxing overcame her, and she gulped down the scentless liquid.

Anna pulled away and wiped her smirk on the back of her hand, Elsa sitting up and gagging and coughing dramatically.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Elsa shot her an icy glare. "I hate you."

Anna smiled. "Love you too, hun. Now  _please_  just stay here and stay out of trouble. I told the guards to let me know if you try to leave," she said over her shoulder as she made for the door. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done with my—"

"No!" Elsa jumped out of bed, scrambling to Anna's side. She clutched her arm pleadingly. "Anna, please, I can't live like this anymore! I've been stuck in this room for weeks!"

Anna was not amused. "Now you're just being over-dramatic. You have not been trapped in here, Elsa. You need bedrest, and the bed just happens to be in this room."

Elsa shook her arm, looking increasingly like a pouting child. "At least let me come with you," she pleaded, burying her face against Anna's shoulder. "Please?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Fine…," she sighed. Elsa sprang up at the admission, nearly bouncing in place. It was weird to see her so hyper, but she supposed all that pent up energy wasn't an exaggeration after all. "You can come with me, but that's it. You are to sit or lie down or stand or…Just don't do anything to hurt yourself, okay? You're seriously not better yet, and I don't want to see you injured more than you already are."

Elsa rapidly nodded her head. "Yes yes! Anything!" she all but purred. "I'll take anything I can get, just get me out of this bloody room!"

 

* * *

 

Elsa had thought she would be following Anna to one of her lessons. Or at least to somewhere where she could sit on a balcony.

Considering it was Anna she was going with, the last place she expected to go was the library.

The blonde rolled over on the plush carpet, looking upside down at the redhead sitting contently at a table with a cup of hot cocoa and a large book. They had been sitting in that dusty old room for nearly an hour now. Elsa was okay with it at first. Happy, actually. It gave her good time to practice writing her letters, but it only took ten minutes of silence for her to want to rip her hair out.

A purposefully loud sigh heavily exhaled through Elsa's mouth. Anna didn't even flinch at the sound.

Elsa swallowed down her growl, dropping her writing stick on her papers and splaying out on the ground. "Anna—"

"No."

Elsa growled lightly. The redhead was determined to keep her in her sight, no matter what the cost was to the blonde's sanity.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

Anna flipped a page. "You just went an hour ago. Hold it."

"I'm hungry."

"Dinner isn't ready yet."

"Thirsty."

"Too bad."

Elsa groaned. "Can I  _please_  just go outside?"

"No."

Anna glared down at the paper in front of her. She heard footsteps shuffle to her side, but she refused to notice them. Dr. Geri said that staying inside was for Elsa's own good, so that sure as hell is what she'll be doing until she's completely better no matter how much she hates it.

The sudden appearance of a furry head plopping over the page she was reading made Anna look up. She scowled. "Elsa, what are you doing?" The silver tiger was sprawled across the table and over her book, her large paws hanging over the edge and rubbing against her thighs. Icy blues stared up at her pleadingly, and even in her frustration Anna felt her chest flutter giddily at how cute the display was.

The redhead cocked her jaw in disapproval. "That can't be good for your arm, Elsa. Change back and move. I have work to do." Work was actually just re-reading her novel of the histories of Joan of Arc for her histories lesson, but it was work nonetheless.

Elsa lowered her ears against her head and made a pathetic chuffing noise. Arctic blue seemed to expand to an impossible diameter, miserable glossy pupils staring up at her pleadingly. Instead of moving, the silver tiger merely scooted closer and rubbed her muzzle against her hand.

"No." Anna stubbornly crossed her arms and looked away. "No no no and no. Not happening." It took every ounce of willpower in her body to not look at the pouting cat, but a cracked whine and small lick to her palm nearly did her in. "I'm not falling for it, Elsa."

To Anna's horror, Elsa leaned further across the table and rubbed her head against her freckled cheek, a small chuffing purr nearly breaking her heart with how pitifully small it was.

_Don't do it, Anna. Don't do it._

The furry weight rubbing her face stopped and plopped against her crossed arms.

_Don't you dare do it._

Despite herself, Anna cracked open her eyes and looked down at the silver tiger. She looked just as pitiful as before, but the close proximity intensified the effect tenfold.

Anna sighed. "Oh fine…" she groaned. "We can take a break…"

The fur on her arms instantly morphed back to human skin. Elsa smiled broadly, giggling like an excited child and pecking a kiss on Anna's cheek before she bolted out the door.

Anna scrambled to chase after her. "Elsa! Wait for me!" she screamed, nearly losing sight of the blonde as she tore down the halls.

 _Why does she have to be the fast one?_  she thought with a groan as she forced her legs to an inhuman capacity to catch up.

 

* * *

 

Elsa all but threw open the castle gates. The guards at its post nearly slipped on the snow in surprise, but the blonde paid them no mind as she sprinted away. It was like she was going outside for the first time all over again. Fresh air lifted her heavy lungs and breezed through her braid, sunlight melting into her pale skin like molten warmth.

She heard Anna yell from somewhere behind her, but she didn't stop as she ran through the treeline. Even if Anna did lose her, she knew the redhead would know where she was going.

Elsa stopped at the crest of the hill marking her destination. She looked back at the now far-away castle and nearly laughed in joy. The soft burn in her muscles and the cold air in her lungs nearly sent her on a high. She never realized how much she would miss being alone again, to not have the anxiety of always knowing that there was someone somewhere watching her.

She missed feeling  _free_.

The blonde shifted into her feline form once again and fell back into the snow, curling and twisting on her back and reveling in the familiar way the icy substance tickled into her pelt.

Her few minutes of alone time were quickly brought to a halt when a panting redhead climbed up to meet her. Elsa paused and perked her ears curiously as the princess stumbled against the lone tree on the hill and leaned against it for support.

"Well…I'm gla…glad you're enjoying yourself…" Anna panted, sliding down the tree and plopping in the snow. "You seriously…couldn't have just waited till…I got a horse or something?" She wiped her brow and took a deep breath to calm her rapid breathing. "Not all of us are *cough* super-human, ya know. And don't you dare complain to me later if you're hurting. I told you to take it easy but you just  _had_ to sprint out of the castle, didn't you?"

Elsa would have rolled her eyes if she could. She got up and limped over to the redhead. She brushed her head against Anna's face and purred apologetically.

Anna half-heartedly pushed her away. "No. Go away." Elsa licked her face, barely budging. "Stop it. I'm mad at youuUAHH!"

Anna screamed in surprise when Elsa wrapped her paws around her torso and rolled to the side. Elsa's purr shook her to the core of her being and her aggressive nuzzling on her head loosened one of her braids. "Elsa!" The redhead tried to get up, but the silver tiger merely rolled over so she was half pressed between her and the snow, clutched to Elsa's chest like a human teddy bear.

Anna couldn't stop the smile that forced its way across her face. It was impossible to stay mad at the blonde for too long. She giggled when Elsa's whiskers grazed her face. "Stop, that tickles," she laughed. Elsa obviously did the opposite, rubbing her muzzle over her face and giving special attention to get the ticklish spot behind her ear. Anna impulsively grabbed a fistful of snow and tossed it back at Elsa's face to avoid the spot's exploitation. The silver tiger snorted in surprise and immediately released her.

Anna quickly crawled away and shot to her feet while Elsa pawed at her face to get the snow out of her nose. She soon changed back to her human self and glared at the laughing redhead.

"Ha! That's what you get!"

Anna's stomach flipped when Elsa's glare morphed into a twisted grin. "Elsa?" The blonde curled the fingers on her left hand, magic glowing and materializing into a snowy orb. Anna didn't even have time to plead mercy before she was ducking and running from an onslaught of snowballs.

She ducked around the oak tree for cover, dancing around it to keep Elsa out of her sights. "Elsa, come on! This is completely unfair!" The redhead squealed when next she jumped around the tree Elsa was right in front of her. A snowball hit her square in the back as she tried to make her escape. Another one smacked her bum.

A long wall of ice sprang up in front of her, trying to block her path. The princess lost her footing in surprise and slipped to the ground. With Elsa closing in behind her, she quickly crawled behind the ice and threw a snowball of her own that safely hit the edge of Elsa's shoulder with a satisfying 'pft'.

Anna fistpumped the air and was going to yell an undoubtedly hilarious oneliner when the wall of ice protecting her disappeared in a magical swirl. A surprisingly fast snowball smacked her head, making the princess yelp and fall back into the snow.

Now it was Elsa's turn to laugh. The blonde slowly came to a stop a few yards from the downed redhead, another snowball formed and ready in her hand.

Seconds waned to one minute and then two, the redhead still on the ground unmoving.

Elsa's laughs nervously died down. "Anna?"

When the princess still didn't move, Elsa stepped closer. "Anna?"

Anna laid eerily still, her eyes closed and her chest not moving to breathe.

"Anna!" Elsa darted to her side.  _No no no not again not again oh please no not again—_

A sudden splat of snow in her face threw Elsa backwards, landing her on her bum. She quickly shook off the icy slush while the once downed girl in front of her sprung to life and laughed like a maniac, hugging her sides.

"You…y-your f-face!" Anna cried, slapping her knee. "Oh my gods, that was priceless!"

Elsa blinked slowly. Her gaping mouth snapped shut, her lip pursing into a firm line and a growl trembling in her chest.

Anna quickly calmed down and looked at the angry blonde. "Oh come on, Elsa. It was just a snowball. You got me like six times."

"That wasn't funny," she snarled, standing.

"On your end maybe. I, for one, thought it rather hilarious to see a wielder of ice and snow take a snowball to the face."

"I thought I hurt you!" Elsa roared, baring her teeth and fisting her hands at her sides to stop herself from lashing out in anger and slight grief. Anna flinched back and stared dumbly at the seething blonde for a good two seconds before she understood.

Regret instantly washed over her. "Oh my gods, Elsa…" She jumped to her feet and strode to the blonde's side. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean for you to think…" Anna went to touch her arm, but Elsa jerked away from her and walked away.

Anna quickly wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist to keep her from going too far, hugging her close and pressing her cheek into her braid.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. I really didn't mean for you to think you hurt me. I…I wasn't really thinking I suppose. Again. I promise I'll be more sensitive about… _that_. I really didn't know…" She hugged the blonde tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. "Please forgive me."

Elsa spun around and grabbed her upper arms in a vice grip. Anna gasped but was quickly silenced when Elsa yanked her forward for a bruising kiss that made her ears ring when their teeth struck.

Elsa pulled away. Her face was a fierce scowl, and her eyes were glossy with nearly shed tears. "Don't you ever do that again, Anna." She pulled her close in a tight hug, her vice-like grip making her arms tremble. "Never again."

"I promise I won't. I'm sorry," Anna mumbled into her shoulder.

Elsa kept her trapped in her embrace for several long minutes before releasing her. Arctic blue darted over her face before landing at her shoulder. Elsa ran her fingers through the hair that had loosened from her braid.

She suddenly spun Anna around and pushed down on her shoulders so she was on the ground.

Anna yelped in surprise when she suddenly found herself sitting in the snow. "What was that for?"

The blonde sat behind her and pulled her in-between her legs. She combed her hair to the side. "Fixing it," she said simply.

Anna blinked. "Fixing…my braid?"

"Yes." She grouped her hair and clumsily began the first chevron.

Anna tried to look over her shoulder, but Elsa forcefully turned her head to face forwards. "But Elsa—"

"No."

"Bu—"

"Just let me."

"Elsa, you have a broken arm."

"I've been practicing."

"Seriously?"

"Shush."

Anna rolled her eyes and let herself giggle. As much as she didn't like Elsa doing something that she thought might hurt her arm, if it made Elsa happy, she was alright with it. Especially after what she did to make her upset.

She could tell by the abundance of awkward pauses and tugs at her hair that Elsa was obviously struggling. She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing when she heard Elsa mumble a curse under her breath.

"Papa asked about you today," Anna said. Her father was just let out of the infirmary a few days ago. She had gone to see him that morning.

"Hm."

"Elsa, you can't avoid him forever. You know you two are going to have to talk at some point."

"I don't see why that has to be anytime soon," she grumbled.

Anna turned to face the blonde, ignoring Elsa's scowl. "I wasn't don—"

"Elsa. You have to talk to him. He really is a nice guy once you get to know him. I know he's hurt you, but he really is sorry. Dreadfully sorry. If you just give him a chance, I know you'll see what I mean."

The blonde looked away. Anna grasped her hands in her own. "Weren't you the one that told me about being open to listen and giving people chances?"

Elsa sighed. "I hate it when you pay attention."

"Hey." Anna cocked her jaw in a scowl. "I take offense to that. That hurts, Elsa. That really hurts."

Elsa grinned. "No," she said, going to flick Anna's forehead. "This hurts—"

"Nope!" Anna leaned back and pushed away Elsa's hand. She covered her forehead protectively. "Not falling for that one again."

Elsa rolled her eyes.

A shine of orange light in her eyes made Anna blink against the horizon. They must have been out there longer than she thought. It was already sundown.

"Come on," Anna said, getting to her feet. "Dinner should be ready by the time we get back."

Elsa slowly got up. "Will…will he—"

"No. Papa won't be there. He's still not allowed to leave his bed yet." Anna shot her a glare. "A little like  _you_  but gods forbid you do what you're told."

"Anna, I'm fine. Seriously." She spread out her arms. "Look! Not one open scratch on me."

Anna paused before crossing her arms and holding her chin, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Hmmm…You are right…but what's that?" She pointed at her pants.

Elsa looked down. "What?"

"That. Right there."

Elsa spun in a small circle, seeing nothing but the large purple stains from her earlier fall with the man from the kitchen. "I don't see what you're talking abou—Hey!"

Elsa squirmed when Anna lifted her into her arms. "Methinks you shouldn't walk until you have the doctor check you out, my lady."

Elsa growled, pushing against Anna's chest. She didn't want to hurt the girl, but she certainly didn't want to be held like a child either. "Put me down, Anna!"

Anna kept her hold, an impish grin beaming at the blonde. "Didn't you hear me? I said you shouldn't walk until the doctor sees you. After all, you didn't stay in bed like you were supposed to. For all you know it could be—"

Anna gasped and fell back, the silver tiger in her arms jumping away before she crushed her. She sat up and rubbed her back. "Again, totally not fair with the whole changing thing!"

Elsa shifted back to her human self. "My poor princess!" she exclaimed dramatically, rushing to Anna's side. "You look hurt! Please, allow me to help," she said in a fancy drawl, the vengeful quirk of her lip making Anna's stomach do a flip.

Before she could even think of running away, Anna found herself looking at the snow and the back of Elsa's legs, the blonde's shoulder pressing into her stomach as she walked towards the castle. She didn't bother struggling. It would either hurt Elsa or herself, so it was best to just go with it at this point.

"Seriously? Again with the whole carrying thing?"

Elsa shrugged her shoulder to get a better grip on her legs. "Hey, you started it."

"You seriously think I could carry you more than a few feet? I was going to put you down."

"But you didn't," Elsa sing-songed. "Karma's twisted like that, isn't it?"

Anna pursed her lips. "Hmph. Keep talking like that and I'll not give you your Christmas present for another three weeks."

"My what?"

Anna leaned back so her mouth was closer to Elsa's ear. "Your  _Christmas-present_. Jeez, I swear one second you can hear a bird take a shit half-way across the kingdom and the next your more deaf than my father."

Elsa tilted her head. "I could hear you just fine, Anna. Why would you give me a present?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Apparently you didn't hear me. I said it was your Christmas present. You know, a present for Christmas? The name is pretty self-explanatory."

Elsa was silent for a long minute. For a second, Anna thought she might have been a little harsh on the blonde.

"What's a Christmas?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** This one took me a lot longer to dish out than I thought. But hey, I needed a happy-ish transition for next chapters. **
> 
> ** Hope y'all enjoyed this one! **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	25. The Night Before Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Just in case you missed it before, this story has an M rating. **
> 
> ** You have been warned... **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

_"Anna!" Elsa screamed as she ran, watching in horror as Anna's blue-tinted body collapsed on the frozen fjord._

**"You should have stopped her, Elsa."**

_Anna feebly reached out to her. Elsa heightened her pace, but a pulse of red blinded her vision. The ice beneath her feet cracked and she plummeted into the black water. She tried to swim to the surface but was met with a wall of ice._

**"You weren't strong enough."**

_She could blearily see Anna on the other side. She screamed and banged her fists against the barrier when a figure with snowy white hair held back an icy blade to strike the redhead._

**"It's your fault."**

_Her strength was quickly failing her, her efforts slowing at a terrifying rate as water filled her lungs and darkened her hazy vision._

Anna…

_The sword struck._

**"It's your fault."**

Elsa jerked in her bed, her eyes wide and her stomach falling in a pit of terror before anxiously bouncing back up. A cold sweat beaded on her face. She looked around frantically and felt safety in the familiarity of the room she was in before her frantic heart could register it.

She took a deep breath.  _It was just a nightmare, Elsa._

The blonde turned on her side, giving a small relieved smile when the bed's other occupant stuttered a cute snore. Anna was the epitome of hilarity and adorableness in her sleep. And only half of that status was contributed to her wild mane of hair.

Elsa gently scooted closer to the redhead, careful not to wake her up. Arctic blue glanced over innumerable freckles scattered across a petite nose and cheeks, small constellations of her own design crisscrossing in a beautiful dance.

Elsa released a deep breath. She gently ran her hand over Anna's strawberry locks, the rhythmic petting quickly calming the blonde's nerves with its familiar texture.

_Just a nightmare._

Teal eyes fluttered open, blinking into the darkness. Elsa's hand stuttered and paused. "Elsa?" Anna croaked in a sleep-heavy voice. She immediately woke to attention when she saw the poorly disguised distress in the blonde's eyes. "What's wrong?"

Elsa looked away, trying to make her retreat to her side of their bed. "I-I'm sorry I just…I couldn't—"

"It was another nightmare, wasn't it?"

Elsa numbly nodded her head.

Anna settled back down. "Alright. Come 'ere," she said, motioning the blonde into her open arms. Elsa obediently shifted into her embrace. Tan hands gently pulled her close and hugged her head against her chest.

Elsa immediately wrapped her arms around her waist. The calm beating of the redhead's heart acted as a metronome to calm Elsa's breathing and synchronize her own frantic heart rate.

"It's still beating, Elsa," Anna cooed, tenderly running her nails through Elsa's loose hair. "I'm still here, and I'm not leaving anytime soon. So please stop worrying." She planted a kiss to the blonde's forehead.

Elsa would have nodded if her mind wasn't so numb. The calm thump against her ear combined with Anna's warm touch and the soft rumble of her voice was like a homemade sleeping spell, immediately sending the blonde back into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

Elsa wasn't entirely sure if she liked Christmas.

The colorful sights and cheerful sounds and absolutely  _delicious_  smells wafting throughout the castle (and the whole capitol for that matter) were a near overload to her sensitive senses. The actual day that Anna was so excited about wasn't till the day after next, and at this rate, Elsa couldn't see how the festivities could possibly get any grander.

And the whole notion of—Santa was his name?—completely confused her. The magical man just sounded like a fat Kristoff with more than one Sven.

But the blonde couldn't help but smile dumbly at the thought of giving Anna a present. It had to be perfect, of course. And since she had no money, it had to be handmade. It took her two weeks to flounder around for an idea, but when inspiration hit her, it was perfect.

It took longer than she had thought to make. The only real hard part after that was finding a box for it. When she was younger, her mother would make them out of ice for a few short minutes. With how long it took her to find a box the right size, Elsa wished she could have done the same thing.

But the strangest thing about the whole gift-giving tradition was the wrapping paper. It seemed like such a waste, really. The presents are already in boxes, so why wrap them in paper? But the blonde didn't really question it that much. It was fun to be part of such a large tradition. It didn't take her that long to scavenge enough paper in Anna's lesson rooms to wrap it, but she only had one problem.

She had no idea how to keep the paper on the box.

Elsa groaned as she walked down the hall towards a large set of oak doors. It was one more thing to add to her list. Time was running out, but she would have to wait till later to figure it out.

"—nk out this, Anna. These are dangerous people. You saw what Hans did."

Elsa paused before the doors to the king's study. She had nearly forgotten that Hans had been shipped back to his homeland a few weeks prior. It was one of many memories that she tried to keep suppressed.

She knew she shouldn't, but her curiosity forced her ear against the study door like a bloodhound on a scent. She knew Anna wouldn't speak to her about Hans because she asked her to do so…but she still wanted to know what ultimately became of him.

"Yes, and now he's probably sitting in their dungeon or sinking to the bottom of the ocean for all we know. Papa, if I don't go then you  _know_  they'll see it as a show of weakness."

Agdar sighed. "Yes but—"

A hand on Elsa's shoulder made her jump. She spun around and came face to face with a stunned Gerda.

"I…My apologies, Ms. Elsa," she said with a small bow. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Is something wrong?"

Elsa blinked. "Ugh no. No nothing's wrong. I was just going to—"

The study door behind her opened, revealing a surprised redhead. "Elsa?" Anna said, tilting her head in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Elsa gaped for a long second before collecting her thoughts. She was not experienced in the art of lying, so she could only hope that her face wasn't too revealing. "I-I was just…going to talk to your father…" she slurred.

The blonde nearly sighed in relief when teal eyes brightened. "Oh! Great!"

"I can come back later if you two are talking—"

Anna waved a hand dismissively. "Oh please. We were just finishing up." She turned back to the king sitting behind his desk. "Right, Papa?" she said in a testing tone of voice that Elsa'd never heard her use before.

The king held her glare for a handful of seconds before he looked away. "Yes, Anna. We're done here."

"Great!" Anna smiled and turned to Elsa. Her gaze softened when she saw nervousness shift in the blonde's eyes. She put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "You'll be fine," she whispered, planting a quick kiss on her cheek before scurrying down the hall.

With her cheeks now flushing fifty shades of red, Elsa stood awkwardly in the open doorway, now alone with Anna's father.

King Agdar cleared his throat to break the silence. "Please, come in, Elsa," he said.

Elsa quietly closed the door behind her and walked into the room. She stood there for a long minute before she figured out that he wanted her to sit down. The new leather chair felt good against her back, but the whole room was a little too crisp for her taste. Well, everything was new, so she would just have to deal with it until it got a few months broken in.

Agdar twiddled his thumbs, not able to keep her gaze for long. "I ugh…I-I named you a royal bodyguard," he blurted. He glanced up to gauge her reaction and only saw her eyebrow raised. Elsa couldn't believe it when the man actually started to sweat. "You don't have to do all the ceremonies of accepting the position. That is, if you want it. Which you don't have to. I just supposed it would…I've noticed that my daughter is fond of your company, and you have proven time and time again to be more than capable of protecting her and I—"

"Thanks."

The king blinked at her. "What?"

Elsa looked away, not quite frowning but certainly not smiling either. Her previously clutched hands relaxed in her lap. "Thanks," she said in barely a whisper, not meeting his eyes. "For the…the thing."

"You're welcome." Agdar said a bit too loudly. "I know it's not much—just a fancy title really—but I figured it would help you get acclimated to the castle."

Elsa still looked away. She gave a small nod.

Agdar swallowed thickly, releasing a deep sigh that made Elsa pick her head up. The king was slouched over his desk, rubbing his face in his hands.

"Elsa…I cannot even begin to form words to express how sorry I am for all the grief I've given you." He looked up at her. The familiar softness in his teal eyes that she saw so often in Anna made her not look away. "I want to believe that I was simply a man torn by grief and seeking justice but…I was far from anything just. I was drowning in my own lust for revenge, and you had to pay the price for that. What I have done is completely and utterly unforgivable, and I am not going to ask for forgiveness that I am very badly undeserving of."

The king leaned back from his desk, making a strange motion with his arms. Elsa's eyes widened fractionally when he appeared on the side of his desk in a rolling chair with large wheels on the side that he pushed to propel himself forward. She didn't miss the way he gritted his teeth or the small pained grunt he made when he finally made it to her side.

Arctic blue flickered up to meet teal. Agdar shakily took one of her hands in both of his calloused ones. "I just wanted to tell you myself how sorry I am, Elsa," he said softly. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I have prayed a thousand times a day since I woke in the hospital wing for the gods to simply take my life so that I may be rid of this guilt so you don't have to fear me ever again. I—"

Pale arms wrapped loosely around the king's shoulders, nearly pulling him out of his wheelchair but still conscious of the wound confining him to it. The mustached man gasped dumbly.

"It's okay," she mumbled against his uniform, her face a blank mask. "I...I understand."

Agdar felt his chest strain like a rubber-band pulled to its limit before snapping at her words, utter relief pooling through his body. He returned her embrace.

He tried to murmur a thank you, but the words were lost in a thankful choke.

 

* * *

 

Elsa hated leather.

She hated anything that confined her body in any shape or form. But leather especially seemed to rub her the wrong way. The blonde growled whenever she had to pick the tight leather jerkin from sticking too uncomfortably to her torso, the white short-sleeve shirt underneath it doing nothing to calm her agitation. The hide garment was freshly made, shiny new buckles clasping it together up her front and a thick leather belt circling low at her waist. The damn jerkin and the cotton material underneath it laced halfway up her neck.

But they weren't even the worst part. She was wearing boots.  _Boots_. Damn contraptions of black leather that fit snugly to her feet and rose to her knees. It took her a near hour to get used to wearing them. It was otherworldly to walk without the ground molding around her bare feet, but Kristoff said she'd just have to get used to it.

Just like she'd have to get used to getting beaten with that damn wooden stick of his.

Oh yeah. She was learning to swordfight now.

Elsa parried out of the way when Kristoff swung his wooden sword at her. She gritted her teeth and tried a slash of her own, but he easily dodged with a mocking smirk.

She hated it when he did that.

He struck at her again. Her poor grip on her sword gave way. She quickly held her arm up and blocked the blow with her leather bracer. Now  _these_  things, she liked. They were much more effective than the wrappings she had before. More durable, too.

Sweat dribbled down her face. They had been at it since that morning, as soon as she was free from her meeting with Anna's father.

It was a good way to help her forget that gods-awkward meeting, she supposed.

"Think fast!"

Elsa's eyes widened before she instinctively ducked under a swing at her head. She quickly regained her footing and tried a stab at his arm, but Kristoff danced around the blow and smacked his stick flat against her back. She yelped at the stinging pain before abruptly falling face-first into the mixture of mud and snow of the training ground floor.

"Oh come on, Ice Block," Kristoff drawled, twirling his stick before leaning it over his shoulder. "The master of ice and snow can't handle a little swordplay?"

Elsa growled, getting to her knees and wiping mud off of her already filthy body. "Why am I doing this again?" she snarled.

"Because you're a knight of Arendelle now. Not only a knight, but a royal bodyguard to boot. You have to learn how to use a sword if you want to do the job properly."

"I'm pretty sure shooting ice from my hands makes me more than qualified."

"But what if you don't have your powers?"

Elsa looked away. It was no secret that her powers had their limits. She had been training herself every day since her recovery to push the limits of her magic, to extend the pitiful reserve that she had. She would not be caught unprepared next time she fought an opponent. She wouldn't let Anna get hurt again.

"I can still change into...you know," she mumbled.

"And if you can't do that?"

"…I can fight hand-to-hand."

"Aaaannd if your opponent has a weapon?"

Elsa huffed. "Okay I get it. I need to be prepared for anything."

Kristoff shifted his weight to one leg. "Exactly. Now get up," he ordered, tapping her arm with his stick. "Try again."

Elsa did as she was told, wiping her snow and mud covered hands against her pants. "You know, I'm pretty sure if I ever get in a situation that requires a sword, Anna would be a much better solution than me."

Kristoff laughed. "Very true. But wouldn't it be such a  _romantic_  gesture to prove yourself a good swordhand? You two'll have something to practice together!" he exclaimed, his words dripping with mocking sarcasm. "Maybe then you can get kicked down a few noches when she beats you."

The blonde growled, re-gripping her sword in her left hand. "Watch your mouth. I can still kick your butt, reindeer boy."

"Come at me then, Frosty."

 

* * *

 

A few stories up from the dueling duo, Anna sighed, resisting the urge to fall asleep on the table while her etiquette master rambled about the discrepancies of spoons and different consistencies of soup. The stiff-backed little man walked like he had a couple utensils stuck up his bum.

 _What I'd give to actually have some soup_ , she thought with a groan.  _I have eaten since this mor—_

Movement outside her window caught Anna's eye. She smiled and nearly laughed, both surprised and amused when she saw Elsa attempting to duel who she'd guess was Kristoff. Although it just looked like the latter was making a fool out of the former.

Anna bit her lip. She had seen Elsa nearly naked before, just a chest wrapping and shorts, but the sinful amount of leather sticking to the blonde's body reshaped and retextured her curves in her imagination. It slid against her smooth movements like a second skin, bending and twisting in every which way Elsa was capable of. And she was capable of  _many_  different positions.

She would have to make sure Elsa wore leather more often.

"Princess? Are you listening?"

Anna started to attention. "Y-Yes, Master Thorin!" she yelled unexpectedly. Her neck heated to a molten capacity and slowly ran up to her face like lava, her scandalous thoughts still roaming unchecked in her mind. As soon as her master looked away, Anna returned her gaze to the window.

The princess smirked.

Giving Elsa a bit of her Christmas present suddenly seemed like a  _very_ good idea.

 

* * *

 

The sun was nearly set when Elsa finally snapped. She was tired, she was hungry, and she was more than sick of being hit around.

"That's  _it_!" she screamed when yet another smack of Kristoff's stick sent her to the ground. The blonde spun like a rabid animal, threw down her practice sword, and pounced the knight.

Kristoff squealed and tried to run from her. Elsa easily tackled him to the ground, and the two rolled in the dirt and snow like a couple of wrestling children. Kristoff bit and scratched at her since he couldn't get a hold on the nimble blonde, but soon their tumble came to a stop, the blonde knight pinned on his stomach while Elsa sat on his back and twisted his arm in a painful but not damaging way.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Kristoff cried, hoping for mercy.

"What's wrong, reindeer boy? Don't know how to handle a real fight? What happened to being prepared for anything?" Elsa twisted harder.

"This is—Ow!—totally unfair!"

Kristoff reached up with his free hand and yanked at her braid, pulling free the already very loosened chevrons. They stood at a standstill, growling and pulling to match the other's force.

The two ignored the footsteps approaching them until a clearing of a throat made them pause and look up. The redheaded princess of Arendelle shot them both a teal glare, her frown baring no room for question in the silent order to let go of each other.

Kristoff and Elsa quickly stood up and shook snow and dirt off of their leather outfits. "What are you two doing?" Anna asked. The princess held two steaming blue mugs in her hands.

Kristoff pointed to Elsa. "She started it!"

Elsa gasped and glared at the blonde knight. "Me?!  _You_  were the one that dragged me out here!"

"Anna, your girlfriend's insane!"

"That's it I'm go—"

"Enough!" Anna yelled, silencing them. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before looking back at the two. "Look, the sun is going down and it's time to come in before the frostbite gets you. Well, Kristoff at least." She held out the mugs. "Here. I know you guys've been out here all day. Consider this an early Christmas treat."

The two eagerly took the offering. Kristoff tentatively blew at his while Elsa took a large swig of the steaming hot chocolate, nearly purring in content. Hot chocolate was surreal bliss in a mug, a pleasant contrast to the cold winter air.

Anna smiled at the blonde's reaction. "Don't think you're getting in our bed like that. You're taking a nice long bath before you get anywhere near the mattress, Elsa."

Elsa made a mock salute. "Yes ma'am. I'll be there in a bit. I have to…talk to Kristoff first."

Anna arched an eyebrow. "You aren't going to try killing each other again, are you?"

Both blonde's rolled their eyes. "We promise," they chorused.

"Alright. I'll have Gerda or Kai bring up some hot water. Don't be too long," she said as she walked away.

Elsa blinked at the redhead's retreating figure. It may have just been her exhausted imagination, but she swore the redhead put more swing into the sway of her hips than was necessary. Her throat was suddenly very dry. Arctic blue diligently followed the show until it disappeared behind a closing door.

"Jeez, someone's a little tomcat. At least try not to stare at your girlfriend's ass."

A cherry blush glazed Elsa's cheeks. She scowled and smacked his arm, nearly knocking the cocoa out of the man's hand. "Shut it, Kristoff. Now pay me up. I only have tomorrow to go buy it."

Kristoff looked down at her. "Are you seriously going to go into the city? You can barely stay in the same room as the servants setting up the decorations in the dining hall without having a mini heart-attack. Might I remind you that Arendelle is one of the largest nations in the North? We have a  _lot_ of people in townsquare."

Elsa huffed and looked away. "I know that. But I really need this to finish Anna's present. You know I do."

Kristoff closed his eyes and put his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "Yes, I know." He cracked open an eye and smiled at her, opening his fist. "Which is why I went out and bought it already."

Elsa smiled from ear to ear, swiping the thick red ribbon from Kristoff's hand and holding it as if it were a small child. It was the last thing she needed—the ribbon to hold together the paper on Anna's present box. It was even red, just like she wanted it.

"Thanks, Kristoff!" she said, surprising the blonde man with a strong hug.

Kristoff laughed and patted her on the back. "Yeah yeah. Don't get all emotional on me, Ice Block. Do you know how to put it on?"

 _No._  "Yes," Elsa said, quickly pulling away and striding for the door. She could figure it out. Besides, it was  _her_  gift. She should be the only one working on it.

"Are you sure?" Kristoff called after her. "I'd be more than happy to—"

The door slammed.

The blonde knight shook his head with a happy sigh. "That girl is hopeless."

Hopelessly in love.

 

* * *

 

It was dark in their room when Elsa made it upstairs. The curtains were open, the moon was just beginning its black ascent into the sky, and the room was bathed in a calm blue glow.

"Elsa?"

Movement behind the changing screen alerted her to another presence in the room. Elsa quickly shuffled to the nightstand and stuffed the ribbon inside the bottom drawer— _her_  drawer. Anna claimed the top one.

"Elsa, is that you?" Anna called again.

Elsa kicked off her boots and began undoing the lacing on her leather bracers, laying the pieces of leather on the nightstand. "Yeah it's me."

A nightdress flipped over the side of the changing curtain. "Oh good. Well, Gerda just finished bringing up the last of the water a few minutes ago. You'd better get in quick before it cools down."

Elsa smiled. The cold wouldn't have bothered her in the least. "Whatever you say, Anna. I'm going."

The blonde strode into the bathroom. She was immediately blinded by a blanket of thick steam, moisture hitting her eyes and being sucked deep into her lungs. It felt like her clothes immediately gained five pounds apiece.

She sighed happily. It was perfect.

The mirror in the bathroom was barely visible, but it was enough to help her undo the multiple buckles on her leather jerkin. She slid the hide over her head and sighed in the newfound freedom her torso felt. She really did hate that leather abomination.

Elsa had just slid off her pants and folded them over her dirty jerkin when she heard the door to the bathroom open and close. She immediately pulled down her shirt to cover her privates when a flash of red hair made its way to her through the steam.

"A-Anna?" she squeaked, her voice cracking. Her flushed face was lit aflame when Anna neared her. The redhead wore a simple green slip, her fiery hair curling freely down her back. The thin fabric suctioned to her body in the steam like wet paper.

It was more than obvious that she wasn't wearing anything underneath. The peaks of her breasts stood out like pebbled beacons against otherwise smooth skin. Folds curling into the juncture between her legs carefully outlined each crease like they were direct drawings to her sex.

Something scalding hot, something long dormant but suddenly awoken stirred deep in the pit of Elsa's stomach. Her initial shock quickly melted away to intent arousal, the deathgrip on her shirt relaxing so she could stand up properly. Arctic blue burned the image of the redhaired woman into her mind before flicking up to meet smirking teal. Their intense gazes bore holes into the other's mind, neither looking away until Anna stopped a hairsbreadth from the blonde.

Anna let her smirk slip into a toothy grin. Elsa was reacting better than she'd hoped. She was a little frightened that the blonde wouldn't want this yet, but the unbridled hunger oozing from her hooded gaze gave her more than enough confidence about continuing.

"Mind if I join?" she asked, her voice like smooth velvet against Elsa's ears.

Speaking seemed to suddenly become too hard, so Elsa growled her response. Anna felt an imaginary hand run up her back at the sound, goosebumps freckling on her skin. She'd never heard her growl like that before. It was a pitch caught between a threatening snarl and a content purr, possessive and seductive yet alarmingly attractive.

Pale fingers tangled into the green fabric that bunched at her thighs, and Elsa tugged lightly. Anna read her thoughts and obediently raised her arms above her head so the annoying material blocking the freckled goddess from Elsa's view could be removed and dropped to the tiled floor.

Elsa's growl rose an octave, arctic blue eyes not straying from teal but her periphery drinking in the unobstructed view of tan flesh.

Anna repeated the process to the blonde, never once breaking their stare. Deft hands slowly unlaced and unbuttoned the musk-scented undershirt. She never stopped, but she took attention to slow her movements to an almost pause when he palms grazed over her breasts.

Elsa's growl lowered to a threatening key when Anna slowed down near her abdomen. It was a little cute how easily the blonde grew frustrated. Comfortingly cool hands wrapped low on her waist and pulled her forward so that their cores almost touched, the long material of Elsa's shirt being a thin barrier to the desired contact.

Anna's face was jerked towards hers from the sudden movement. Their breasts pressed flush against each other. Anna could feel each tense exhale glaze hot out of Elsa's mouth and over her own.

"I'm not done," she breathed, their noses barely touching and their gaze breaking only for a split second to dart to their parted lips. Anna danced her fingers through the last buttons. She impatiently licked her lips and felt her folds clench longingly when her fingers had to push between both their bodies in order to get to the bottom-most buttons. Elsa's strong grip kept her fingers sandwiched firmly between their bodies. Anna's breath hitched when her fingers unknowingly pressed against Elsa's folds when she undid the last button. Elsa growled long and low, like a moan, parting her lips and baring her fangs from the sensual contact.

Anna bit her lip, forcing herself into some sort of coherent thought. She hadn't planned for Elsa to get worked up so easily or so quickly. They still had the whole night ahead of them, but it wouldn't last much longer if she lost herself in those hooded blue pools.

"Elsa…bath…" Anna reached around her hips and removed Elsa's hands, a small smile gracing her lips when she felt her grip immediately release when she showed she didn't want to be held anymore. "You're dirty, love."

A smile crossed Elsa's face. "Join me."

Anna was surprised her legs were able to move when she made her first step towards the floor-level bath, Elsa following close at her heels.

Elsa swallowed hard. Anna's body was as flawless as her heart. Soft freckled shoulders curved down to a smooth tan back that seemed to glide like a water-serpent when she walked, a thick film of moisture sticking to her skin like beaded scales. Thighs and calves, toned and tanned from long hours of horseback riding, slipped beneath the water.

It took every ounce of willpower in Elsa's body to not openly stare at her rear. Though the redhead was making it rather difficult when she purposefully lengthened her slow strides and swung her hips.

When she was chest-deep in the water, Anna motioned for Elsa to join. The redhead almost laughed when Elsa's eyes made a long journey up when she turned to face her.

The blonde needed no further invitation. She quickly sunk under the water, the heat seeping deep into her sore muscles and giving her body much needed relief.

Anna grabbed a bottle of perfumed cleaning oil. After making Elsa dunk her head, she leaned against the corner of the tub and sat Elsa between her thighs, digging her fingers into her scalp and slowly scrubbing. Elsa leaned against her and purred her content, her growl returning when Anna's bare body pressed firmly against her back.

The blonde busied her hands on Anna's thighs. The redhead bit back a small moan when deft fingers kneaded soft circles into her flesh and scratched gently up and down her leg, her breath hitching each time they came up to her hips.

When it came time to wash her body, Elsa gently grabbed her hand to stop her. "You too," she husked. She reached for another soapy cloth, settling in front of the stunned redhead. "I wanna wash you too."

Anna nodded dumbly, trying to quell the sudden surge of heat that shot through her body just at the compromised sound of Elsa's voice. Gods, she was falling apart just from the sultry sound of a few syllables.

Like anything good in life, their touches started slow. Meaningful and deliberate, they stroked up and down each other's exposed bodies, eyes darting to admire.

Elsa's muscles jumped and danced beneath Anna's fingers. She dipped the cloth into her collarbone, reaching down to rub slowly over pert breasts. She smirked when she saw Elsa bite her lip to barely contain the otherworldly moan that threatened to tumble out of her mouth.

The redhead looked up when Elsa's hands, which were previously motioning contently up and down her sides, wrapped around her back and pulled her closer so they could rub deep circles into her back.

Elsa was a second away from hyperventilating. The air was suddenly too thick, her muscles burning for some sort of life to give them movement. She could see Anna was no worse for wear. Black pupils blew large with hungry lust until there was nothing but a thin teal ring surrounding them. Their movements were becoming less sensual and more sporadic, more desperate. It was more so a test of wills at this point. To see which woman would make the first move and put an end to this game of resistance.

Elsa was the first to break.

She yanked Anna forward and swallowed the redhead's surprised gasp into a kiss, her tongue finding purchase against hers and coaxing the stunned muscle out to play. Tan thighs squeezed around her hips as their bodies slid against each other.

Elsa was so lost in the sensation that she simply let her body move for itself. She wanted Anna so badly. To be with her, to be a  _part_  of her, to share her very being. This was her princess, her princess to love and make love to whenever she wanted. Her princess to kiss and whisper sweet nothings to whenever she wished. The rush of possessiveness that shot through her bloodstream made Elsa moan, one of her hands pulling Anna's thigh impossibly closer around her waist while the other wandered and tasted with its sensitive touch.

Anna pulled back to get a quick breath from the edge of Elsa's mouth before breathing out hotly and reconnecting their passions. She wrapped an arm under the blonde's to tangle in her hair, her fingers pulling lightly at the wet platinum blonde roots. She was surprised at herself when a shuttered moan-like sound tumbled at the back of her throat when Elsa ran her tongue over the ridges at the roof of her mouth.

Oh she liked that. She liked that  _a lot_.

Her body arched into Elsa's. Her free hand scored deep scratches over her collarbone when the blonde growled and thrust her hips against hers, rubbing her core in a sinfully sweet stroke of skin on skin. Anna pulled away and buried her face against Elsa's shoulder. Her moan and sporadic buck of her hips made her insides flip and tighten.

Elsa growled at the sudden contact sparking between their hips. Her lips immediately found purchase on Anna's exposed throat. The redhead gasped and tugged at her hair when sharp canines bit and nipped up and down the milky column. She could barely breath when Elsa sucked lightly on her pulse-point. She could feel her own fluttering heartbeat beneath the vulnerable skin.

"E…E-Elsa…" she stuttered out, her breath hitching when the blonde bit playfully at her collarbone before rolling her tongue over the wound. She squirmed and fisted her hands in platinum locks. "Bed…have to…Ah!...n-not…here…"

However broken the message was, Elsa apparently made sense of it. The sudden flush of gravity pulled her down against Elsa's chest when the blonde stood up from the water and strode for the door. The poor piece of wood nearly tore off its hinges when she tossed it open and deposited them on the bed, still sopping wet but neither caring.

 _My mate._  Elsa admired the redheaded beauty below her.  _My mate. My Anna._

"Are you sure about this?" she reminded herself to ask. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the princess, but her hand still massaged the inside of her thigh as it continued its course to her core.

Anna pulled down the taller woman till their foreheads touched. The black-blown glaze in her eyes should have been enough confirmation, but Elsa wanted there to be no room for doubt.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life," she mumbled. Her ankles hooked around Elsa's waist and pulled her closer, a moan tumbling from her mouth when a flat line chiseled stomach pressed against her. "Just please…I-I need—"

Elsa silenced her with a kiss, swallowing in the next second Anna's cry of ecstasy when she gave herself to the woman she loved.

The rest of their night was spent that way. Wrapped in the warmth of the others' embrace and delighting in the pleasurable dance their souls experienced when they gave their physicality to their other halves.

Because their love was an open door. And they had just taken the first step over the threshold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** It's late, and I'm pretty sure I'm in a caffeine coma. I really should be writing a paper, but I was in a very smutty mood. Enjoy, you sexy fiends. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	26. Marshmallow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

"You do realize Elsa's going to kill you, right?"

Anna shot a glare at her blonde bodyguard. Well, her former bodyguard, really. Since the job was split between him and Elsa now, he stayed more with her father, and Elsa with her.

"She's not going to kill me, Kristoff," she huffed. The redheaded princess crossed to her bed where an almost full trunk sat on the duvet and placed in another stack of clothes. Judging by the uncharacteristic organization of the dresses, stockings, and other articles of clothing tediously folded inside, Elsa's compulsive habits were starting to rub off on her. Either that or her nervousness was driving her to insanity.

Anna crossed her arms and looked at the blonde knight. "She'll throw one hell of a tantrum, but she'd never hurt me."

Rolling his eyes, Kristoff simply leaned against the wall, mocking her movements. "Hyperbole, Anna. And do tell me, does the great Princess of Arendelle have a back-up plan for when her girlfriend freezes the kingdom and fjord to prevent you from leaving? Or are you just going to go without telling her?"

"I'm not going to leave without saying goodbye, Kristoff."

"Of course. Her broken heart would literally freeze our economy. So do you plan on telling her at the party, or right before you leave? This last minute stuff isn't exactly working in your favor."

Anna's muscles locked in sudden anger, her face steaming. "It's not like I  _want_  to go!" she yelled. "You know I have to!" She turned to her trunk and forgot all order that was made with its contents, simply tossing in clothes in a wrinkled fray. "Those bastards didn't decide to send the invitation until last minute, so it's not my fault I have to leave on Christmas!"

She had planned so much for Elsa's first Christmas. A perfect Christmas Eve party, presents, hot cocoa, mistletoe...

But everything was botched when a letter came in yesterday from Arendelle's least amiable neighbor. The Southern Isles' monarch, King Anders, was calling a summit of not just council from Arendelle, but from  _all_  countries in the Northern Kingdom. She could only imagine what the sly monarch was planning with a dozen royals all in the same castle. Anders wrote that it was to discuss a means to deal with the growing number of attacks on merchant ships that carried import and export from the secluded islands, but she highly doubted that was all he planned to bring up. So many persons of noble blood meeting in one place was unheard of. To simply discuss a nuisance of pirate raids would be a humiliation.

Not to mention he never directly responded to her letter about the... _state_  of Hans. A vague 'he was dealt with' was not enough to help her sleep at night.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Anders planned on pointing the finger at somebody, especially since it was only Southern Isles ships that were being targeted. She just hoped it wasn't Arendelle, considering recent events.

Normally, her father would have gone, but in his current state of physical health, he wouldn't last the trip, let alone there and back. A summit this big was too important to send a duke or dignitary in his stead. It would be a mockery to Arendelle and a confirmation of great weakness from the powerful country. Rumor of the showdown at Castle Arendelle spread like wildfire through the kingdoms, along with talk of a weakened monarch and a distressed princess.

This was a prime time to prove them wrong.

Kristoff stepped forward, reaching a hand to her shoulder to calm her. The redhead snapped around at his touch. Her face was red, and her lips pursed into a thin line.

He sighed, gently taking both of the princess' shoulders and turning her shaking body to face him. "Anna, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"No. No you're right," she said, trying her hardest to keep a stone face and resist the urge to lash out or cry. Maybe a little of both. "I should have told her yesterday when Papa told me about the letter, but I just—" Anna took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping and her anger leaving her in a heavy exhale. "She was so excited about it, Kristoff. You should have seen her face. She was practically beaming, like a little kid." The princess let out a small laugh before growing somber again.

"Then why don't you just take her with you?" he gently suggested. "She's never had a Christmas before—we can have a little party on the ship. Sven and I'll even do our duet if you want."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Kristoff, you saw what they did to her mom. What's to say they won't do the same to her? Those cowards have been dealing dirty for centuries. If they get their hands on her—"

"Who's to say they will? You forget that Arendelle is the size of all their puny little islands ten times over. They wouldn't dare do it unless they wanted a war."

"That didn't stop Erling when he killed my mom."

Kristoff swallowed down his next retort and looked away. His shoulders sagged. He often forgot that Anna was a princess, bred and taught to be a leader. There was no arguing with her there.

"I know I'm doing the right thing—I  _know_  I am," Anna said, almost to herself. She had been repeating that same line to herself ever since the afternoon of the day prior, and she still hadn't managed to completely convince herself. It was right for the good of her country, but the mere thought of causing Elsa more pain made her want to hide under a rock. "I'm leaving tomorrow, but the least I can do is give her tonight. Just one night. I'll…I'll tell her afterwards, I suppose."

Kristoff gave her a small smile. "Sounds like a plan. And if you need any help, I got your back."

Anna smiled back in thanks. It comforted her greatly that at least he could accompany her to the summit. She had never been overseas alone before, and having a familiar face lightened her burden by a few tons.

The blonde knight raised an eyebrow. "But when you say you're 'giving her tonight,' you do mean the party, right? I don't think the east wing can take another sleepless night if you're going to be doing the do until the birds sing."

Blood rushed up to Anna's face faster than lightening. "W-What?!" she squeaked. Her mouth opened and closed to formulate a retort, but all that came out was a sound akin to baby gabble.

Kristoff hid his laughter in a knowing smirk, crossing his arms. "You know, out of the two of you, I would've never expected Elsa to be the loud one in bed. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

Anna buried her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. Her ears lit on fire when the mention of last night brought a  _very_  vivid set of memories to the forefront of her mind.

Kristoff howled with laughter for a good two minutes before he calmed himself down and smacked her shoulder playfully. "Hey, come on, princess. You know I'm just teasing."

"Then how did you know that...that we—"

"A once in a blue moon chance, my friend. I got up to go to the bathroom and came by your room with my sword when I heard you...well..." Kristoff blushed and looked away with a laugh. "Let's just say I heard you and Elsa making some sounds that I couldn't quite tell were painful or not until I got to your door."

Anna grit her teeth. "Oh my gods...," she groaned.

"Don't worry, though! I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that heard. But I would suggest trying to keep it down next time. I might not be the only one needing to take a leak the next time you succumb to your libido."

Anna mumbled a response from behind her hands. Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"By the way, does your father know about this whole...you and Elsa thing by any chance? From what I heard last night things are pretty serious. You might wanna start talki—"

"I already did."

Kristoff blinked dumbly. "You...You talked to him about it?"

Anna finally lifted her face from her hands, taking a deep breath to will away the lingering red in her face. "I talked to him right after I was allowed to see him in the hospital wing." She looked away. "Dr. Geri...he said Papa might not make it. I thought he deserved to know. I didn't really know what I was thinking, but I guess I just sortof wanting his...blessing? I guess? I don't know—"

"Anna." Kristoff put a hand on her shoulder. "I get it. And he approved of you two? After all that's happened with him and Elsa?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Pfft. Please, right now Elsa could freeze over half the capital and he wouldn't say a word against her. He really is sorry for what he did to her. He just has no idea how to show or make up for it. You know he's not good at the whole emotions thing, but Elsa isn't either. I think if they just get to know each other—"

"Anna."

"What?"

"Answer the question."

"Oh. Right. Well, he said he was okay with it as long as I was. I told him all I knew about her, and he was still alright with it. More so, actually. But I don't entirely think Elsa's forgiven him yet. She just needs time to get used to him and see that he really means it, ya know? And—"

"Weeeell, would you look at the time," Kristoff interrupted, pointing out the window at the sun's peaking of the horizon. "I don't know about you, but I still have to go to the barber to get done up for tonight." The blonde knight strode towards the door.

Anna rolled her eyes. "You know it's not a formal thing, Kristoff. You don't need to get done up for anything."

He opened the door. "Ya, but I have a little beard growing that really needs to go. Can't look scruffy on duty."

"Why don't you try growing it out? You would look great with a beard."

Kristoff looked up at her, tilting his head and rubbing his scruffed chin. "You think so? I always thought it would make me look a little too old. But maybe I'll give it a shot. It's not like I—" Kristoff paused when the corners of Anna's lips curled mischievously. "You were mocking me again, weren't you?"

"Hmmmm I'd say that was thirty percent serious, seventy percent mock. But you can interpret it as you like."

Her bedroom door slammed shut. Anna couldn't help but laugh when she heard the mountain man's grumbling drift down the hall.

 

* * *

 

"Come on come on come on…."

A snow flurry danced over Elsa's right hand, its soft hum and light blue glow adding a brightened hue to the library. Arctic eyes glanced furiously between the paper in front of her and the bundle of snowflakes in her palm that would simply  _not sit still_ long enough for her to sketch them.

"Nonono!" The snowflake she had been trying to burn into her memory in the short seconds she saw it morphed and changed, floating away into the swirl to be replaced by another that looked nothing like the first.

Elsa growled, waving her hand to dismiss the magic. She snatched the paper in front of her and crumpled it into a compact ball before throwing it somewhere across the library with the dozens of other failed drawings.

Wrapping paper. No one bothered to tell her that the useless paper on the gifts had to have some sort of unique design on them. She had to find out for herself last night.

Three richly wrapped presents were just laying on a table in the ballroom. She passed by them when she was going to get a drink after...well, after things— _amazing_  things—happened between her and Anna. The intricate designs and seemingly flawless craftsmanship put into making the splendid paper nearly made her heart stop when she compared it to the blank white paper she was using. Heck, some of the "white" sheets even had scribbles and notes on them. She had, after all, scavenged them from around Anna's lesson rooms.

It was now the eve of the Christmas. She was supposed to give Anna her present at the party or ball or whatever they were having tonight, and her wrapping paper wasn't even half-way finished.

Elsa exhaustively rubbed her face in her hands, a very poor decision since she had forgotten that the grey substance from her writing stick  _always_  smeared to her palms. She didn't need to look in a mirror to know she probably had grey streaking down her face like war paint.

"Come on, Elsa, this if for Anna. You can do this," she mumbled to herself as she grabbed another sheet of paper from the frighteningly thin stack sitting in front of her. She scooted her chair closer to the table and cracked her knuckles.

She had been there for quite a few hours already, and it was only early morning. The blonde steeled her face to ignore the angry growl her stomach made, biting the inside of her cheek when it resorted to cramping in an effort to make her leave and eat. There really was nothing stopping her from doing so. It was only early morning, and she had plenty of time to finish up Anna's present if she just grabbed a quick bite.

But…there were people walking around the halls today.  _A lot_  of people.

Elsa didn't like crowds for obvious reasons that she didn't care to think about. Getting through the week when Anna was unconscious was like a small eternity in her own special purgatory. She even snuck to the library in the dead of night in order to avoid the seemingly endless flow of people that clogged the halls.

Whenever she  _did_  have to pass through a crowded hall, people flocked away and around her like a river splitting against a jutting rock. She knew they were scared of her. She heard them talk about her in whispers and passing bys. They never spoke ill of her, but they never really spoke nicely either. They were just frightened of her.

But she didn't mind. Let them be frightened of her. She was used to it. It was a good thing for her on occasion. A simple glance from her in their direction cleared a path faster than what she supposed was humanly possible. It was especially useful after a long day of training with Kristoff when she wanted nothing more than to go to her and Anna's room and tear off that damn leather jerkin the blonde knight made her wear.

But, she digresses.

So now, here she sat. Alone in the library in the seat and table Anna usually used, the redhead's comforting scent lingering in the area like a pleasant mist. Maybe now she would be able to get some much needed progress done.

But of course the gods had other plans.

A gentle bump stroked against Elsa's calf.

"Meow~"

Elsa's writing stick snapped in half in her grip, her eyes going wide.

_No._

The blonde froze, hoping against all hope that she had simply imagined the sickeningly familiar fur on her skin and the scent breezing from under the table.

The furry head bumped against her calf again, a downy-soft body curling around her ankle. "Meow~"

Elsa's chair scratched loudly when she suddenly scooted away from the table. "You!" she accused, scowling down at the intruder.

The white feline rubbing its muzzle against her ankle glanced up at her with crystal blue eyes. If it were possible, Elsa could have sworn the damn thing was smirking at her. "Meow~"

This was Marshmallow

Elsa hated Marshmallow.

The large feline was a fluffball of white fur on four legs that was adopted into the castle as a kitten to ensure there would never be a problem with rodents. There never was, of course. It was actually a waste to keep it since there wasn't a speck of rat or mouse anywhere in the large castle (probably due to the rigorousness of the cleaning staff), but Elsa decided to withhold that information, for Anna's sake more than anything. She adored the lazy creature.

The things she did for love.

Though, there wasn't any real reason why she hated it, besides the fact that she just hated it. It never did anything to her besides exist. But at the end of the day, it just came down to science. It was part of her baser instinct to be hostile to an invading party on her territory. Especially if it was a part of her species (sortof) and  _especially_  if it affiliated with her mate.

Mate. The word rolled off her tongue in the most satisfying of ways, even if she didn't know where it came from. One second she was courting the woman who stole her broken heart to replace herself in its empty void, and the next she was making love to her mate. Though Anna was fine with the term, she did explain that it was rather unusual, especially since it was repeated so often when Elsa claimed to never have thought or affiliated with the term before.

It was probably nothing.

The blonde quickly hugged the leg Marshmallow was rubbing on to her chest. She glared daggers at the feline and snarled low and loud, warning it away.

But like always, Marshmallow was undeterred. He simply strode to her other foot and repeated the process until Elsa hugged her other leg to her chest as well.

"Go away," she all but hissed. Marshmallow stared at her dumbly. Elsa growled in frustration, pointing her finger towards the door. "Go. Leave. Now. Away from me."

The long-furred cat lazily glanced in the general direction of the door. It sat up and lumbered behind the couch instead.

Elsa groaned, putting her feet back on the ground. "Damn cat…" she muttered. The blonde shook off the lingering feeling of frustration and picked up the broken half of her writing stick that still had the point. The nub was barely big enough to fit between two fingers, but somehow she managed to continue her sketching.

The silence the blonde was pleasantly beginning to settle into was interrupted by a sudden jump on the table.

"Meow~"

Elsa jumped back in her seat, nearly falling over and a pulse of frost glazing over the rug and table. The bristling blonde quickly collected herself. She checked first to make sure her drawing was untainted before glaring at the white menace.

"Go.  _Away_."

Marshmallow sat down on the table and looked at her with marble eyes. After a minute-long staring (more like glaring) contest, the feline licked its paw and rubbed its ear in the beginnings of what would surely be a long grooming on the long-furred animal.

And it showed absolutely no intention of moving.

Elsa thought of picking it and moving it, preferably out the window, but she knew from experience that the nuisance would respawn itself at her side until it had what it wanted. These episodes became small battles between them. A feat of patience on Elsa's part and a show of utter determination and innovation on Marshmallow's.

Following the 'Battle of the Windowsill' from two days prior, Elsa was currently in the lead by two marks. She intended to keep it that way.

Elsa drew her writing stick back to her paper and re-conjured her flurry with careful slowness, her eyes not leaving her grooming enemy. After a few seconds of stand-off, she deemed it safe to look away and continue her sketching.

She was only done with two detailed snowflakes when a head bumped against her arm and skewed her writing stick diagonally across the paper, a dark grey streak following its path.

"Meow~"

"No!" Elsa dropped her writing stick and grabbed at her hair in despair. She only needed one more paper to wrap Anna's present, and it was scrapped now. All she had left was a sheet of paper with a crudely drawn snowman doodled on it courtesy of Anna during one of her lessons. This was her last clean sheet.

She glared at the white menace. "Look what you've done!"

Marshmallow tilted his head. He sniffed at the piece of paper that Elsa was so fervently pointing at. The blonde's blood heated to a dangerous boil when he simply padded across the paper and tried to rub his muzzle against her face.

"No!" she said, leaning away and crossing her arms. It sickened her to think that this thing had already rubbed its scent on her leg, but there was no way in the seven hells it was getting at her face. Marshmallow sat at the edge of the table.

Growling, Elsa grit her teeth, her fangs grinding over her incisors. She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine! What do you want? You want me to move? Is this your spot,  _too_? You want to wipe my scent away from your spot?"

Marshmallow of course said nothing, crystal eyes blinking curiously at her and a feathery tail curling around thick paws.

The blonde groaned, leaning her neck over the back of her chair so she was looking at the ceiling.

"Look, Marsh..." she began defeatedly. "I've been having a really long day, okay? I've been up since twilight of last night, and I'm just trying to finish Anna's present. You like Anna, don't you? I'm just trying to make her happy. So for the love of all things good and holy would you please just tell me what you want or leave so I can get on with—"

A sudden weight in Elsa's lap made her head snap back forwards, her vision fuzzing to black momentarily from the sudden rush of blood. She blinked down dumbly at the white feline pawing at her lap, curling in a circle before resting with its back against her abdomen and its tail over its face.

Elsa groaned loudly. She would have rather it just be that she had to leave, but if this is what it wanted, then it would have simply followed her. Again.

The blonde looked down at it, Marshmallow's fluttering little purr vibrating against her thigh. She supposed he was kindof cute. If nothing else, it was comforting. Elsa laughed to herself. If they weren't territorial enemies, she would have pet the annoying furball.

 _I guess I'll just have to deal with it_ , she thought as she scooted closer to the table and again set up to start her sketch. She licked her thumb and smeared away the scratch of grey slicing across the paper before finding a snowflake in her flurry to draw over it.

 

* * *

 

It was nearly afternoon when Elsa was finally finished. Marshmallow was still dozing peacefully in her lap, but at least the last of the wrapping paper was decorated, though some of the earlier drawn snowflakes were smudging across the paper. She just wrapped those on the bottom when she applied them to the present box. It took her nearly an hour to figure out how to tie up the paper over the box with the piece of red ribbon. Some (well,  _all_  mostly) of the paper got wrinkled in the process, but the deed was finally done.

Elsa smiled so broad that her cheeks hurt. It was perfect.

 _Oh wait!_  The blonde reached across the table for the carefully folded piece of paper that was standing by for wrapping to finish. She slid the note under the tight (probably  _too_  tight) bow.

 _Now_  it was perfect.

Elsa yawned. Her hunger must have eaten itself or lost its battle with exhaustion because all she wanted to do at the moment was sleep. It was only afternoon. It was hours until the party. She could catch a quick cat-nap.

Marshmallow grumbled awake when Elsa lifted him from her lap and set him on the floor. The white feline stretched its back in a long stretch, not phased in the least when the woman standing beside it shifted into a cat that could easily kill him with a bat of her paw.

The silver tiger lumbered around the table and couch. She had kept the fire in the library brazer going throughout the night for extra light, and the logs used in the large furnace were still ablaze. Elsa all but fell onto the plush carpet in front of it, her paws giving out beneath her. She wished never to see another snowflake in her life, and she chuffed a laugh at herself at the irony.

Normally, she couldn't feel the heat of the fire, but if she lowered her body temperature, the contrast between absorption of heat and lack thereof would produce what she supposed humans normally felt. She purred in contentment when the heat stuck to her fur and soaked into her pelt, grabbing her like molten hands and plummeting her to quick slumber. She flexed and retracted her claws at the air and rubbed the side of her face into the carpet.

She was almost dreaming when a familiar weight crawled over her flank. She couldn't decide later on if she didn't throw it off because she thought she was already dreaming or if she was too exhausted to move.

Nevertheless, her eyes stayed closed as Marshmallow climbed over her abdomen and back, kneading his small paws into her fur in an almost pleasant massage.

Elsa would never admit that her ensuing purr wasn't because of the fire.

Marshmallow continued his furry climb over her back to her arms and shoulder, finally at his destination at the side of her neck. Elsa's instinct flared to alertness long enough to grumble out a growl of warning before relaxing back to a snoring purr.

The white cat on top of her didn't hesitate to repeat his ritual of curling up into the thick fur in the dip of her neck and shoulder, nuzzling his face behind her ear and quickly falling back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Big kitty and little kitty. Sworn enemies for life? You decide. **
> 
> ** Hope ya enjoyed. **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	27. Setting Sail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Yayyyy another chapterrrrrr **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or GOT. **

"Meow~!"

A sudden scurrying of small paws on and off of Elsa's neck forced her into consciousness. She opened her bleary eyes and glared at the white ball of fur frantically pawing at a tumbling ball of yarn. The fire she was previously relaxing in front of was now no more than a few cinders.

The yarn ball rolled against Elsa's face, the white menace racing after it. She growled and swatted the ball away. She nearly sighed in relief when Marshmallow chased after it to the other end of the library.

"It's about time you woke up."

Elsa lifted her head. Kristoff was sitting on the arm of the couch, a crisp green tunic and black pants lengthening his frame. His boots were shined, and his sword hung loosely on his hip through a new black sheath.

She blinked questioningly. It was too formal for his normal uniform.

The blonde shifted back to her human self, rubbing her eyes. "Kristoff?" She looked to the window. Orange light poured through the glass pain. "What time is it?"

The knight laughed. "Well, sleepyhead, if I had to guess, I'd say it's about six."

"Hmm."

"…meaning you only have about an hour till the party starts."

Elsa scrambled to her feet, her exhaustion fleeing from her body faster than she could blink. "What?! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" The blonde jumped over the couch and raced around the table to grab Anna's present.

"Relax, Ice Block. You have plenty of time."

"Plenty of time? I'm still in my sleeping clothes!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Okay one, they're called pajamas, and two, all you need to do is wash up and get changed. Trust me, it's not that formal of a party. It's just a thing Anna's father does for the castle to unwind."

Elsa stood next to him, her grip on Anna's present nearly collapsing the box it was in. "But…But Anna told me it was a big thing…"

Kristoff patted her on the back, leading the both of them into the hallway and towards her room. "Well, it is big, but not fancy. It's just you, me, Anna, her father, and the castle staff. Though that's still a few hundred people. You'd be surprised how much work it takes to keep this place in order."

Elsa's shoulders rose to her ears, and she hugged Anna's present under her chin.  _A few hundred people. Right. No biggy_ , she thought as her blood pressure rose to a dizzying speed.  _What could possibly go wrong?_

A few strides later, they were in her and Anna's room. Elsa dashed to the bathroom, thankful that the water basin was still full. She grabbed a nearby towel and quickly whipped her face clear of sleepiness and the streaks of grey from her writing stick. Her hair looked…decent enough. It was too late for her to do anything about it anyways.

Kristoff was waiting by her bed when she came out. He tossed her a bundle of clothes, surprised that they didn't unfold when she stumbled to catch them. She mumbled a quick thanks before jumping behind the changing curtain.

Elsa held up the clothes in mild surprise. They were brand new judging by their scent, and the texture of the exquisite fabric nearly made her bury her face in them. Needless to say she was lightening quick in tearing off her current attire and changing into the new.

She heard a dull shake from across the room. "So what'd ya get Anna for Christmas?" Kristoff asked.

Elsa slipped her shirt over her head, tucking it into her trousers. "Put it down, Kristoff! It's none of your business!"

A small click of the box being placed back down on the dresser told her he had listened. "Aw, you even made her a little note! And—wait, what? Did you seriously draw snowflakes on it?"

"Yes," Elsa grumbled. "No one bothered to tell me it had to look fancy. It took me hours to make that."

"You could've just asked me to go to town and buy you some."

"What?!" Elsa poked her head out, her hands lacing up her shirt. "But…isn't that what you do? You  _have_  to draw them. How else would you make the designs?"

Kristoff smirked. "It's called the printing press, Frosty. Ten seconds and it would've been done."

Elsa groaned, disappearing back behind the curtain. "I will never understand humans. You all are ridiculous."

The blonde knight chuckled. "Yeah yeah. Are you done yet?"

"As a matter of fact," Elsa said, stepping out from the curtain. "I am."

Kristoff looked the blonde up and down. After a long second, he tilted his head and smiled, crossing his arms. "Hm. Dashing, Ice Block. Very dashing."

Elsa turned to look at herself in the mirror. She wore a tailored doublet that laced up the font, the material a light silver that almost matched her feline form. She sent a silent thanks to the gods that it didn't restrict her neck like her jerkin had. The collar was instead open, cut down into a low V that stopped right between breasts and would have flashed her to the public if not for the white long-sleeved shirt she wore underneath. Though the lacing to her high-collar undershirt was undone almost so much as to follow the path of the doublet. Ash gray trousers hugged tightly, but not uncomfortably, to her legs and were tucked into a different, looser pair of black boots than those she trained in.

The blonde grabbed Anna's present from the dresser and slid it into her inner breast pocket. She had to agree. She looked pretty good.

Kristoff appeared behind her. "But ya know, you are missing something…"

Elsa looked back at him questioningly. Her eyes widened when a sheathed sword was thrust against her chest, the buckle on its belt clanking loudly.

"Merry Christmas, Elsa."

Elsa glanced up at the knight and then back at the sword in her hands. The belt and sheath holding the blade were a midnight black, silver accents swirling at its top and tip. She cautiously drew the sword. Her fingers sunk into the plush black leather wound around the grip, still new and fresh and ready to mold itself to her hand.

Elsa gaped at it in awe. The pommel of the sword was a carved head of a snarling tiger, ears pressed against a striped head and lip curled back to show a glimpse of thick canines. The eyes of the pommel were chips of inset sapphire.

"Kristoff, I…" Elsa looked up and down the virgin steel at a loss for words. He said that she would need her own sword one day, if not for show than anything else since she was a bodyguard to Arendelle's monarchs. "I don't know what to say—"

"You don't have to say anything. It's Christmas. That's how things go," he chuckled. "But I will point out that the pommel was my bit of handiwork. Metal's a little harder to carve than wood, but I think it came out pretty well."

Elsa sheathed the sword. She looked away, guilt burrowing into her chest and a light heat of shame brightening her face. She didn't think about getting a present for him. She thought it was just a one person thing.

Her blood ran cold. What if other people gave her things, and she had nothing to give in return?

The blonde knight blinked in surprise when she held the sword out to him. "I can't take this, Kristoff."

"Why not? Don't you like it?"

"Of course I like it—It's wonderful. I just…I don't have anything for you…"

Kristoff laughed lightly. "Elsa, you don't have to give me anything. Christmas is about giving." He pushed it back to her. "Now shut up and strap that thing on. We have a party to get to."

Elsa clasped the smooth leather around her waist as instructed, though the belt angled off her hip instead of staying straight like his. She would probably never have to use it (at least not anytime in the near future), but it sure as hell looked nice.

The two strode to the door. Kristoff was just reaching for the handle when it suddenly opened inward.

Teal eyes sized up the two knights. "There you two are," Anna said in a gasp of relief, stepping away from the door to avoid stumbling into the two. "I was looking everywhere for you. The party's already started, so you better high-tail it to the ball room if you still want to get first cuts."

Kristoff's eyes widened. "My carrot cake!" He shoved by the redheaded princess and dashed down the hall. His sword smacked against his side as the sound of his pounding boots drifted away from them.

"What did he say?" Elsa giggled.

Anna smiled at her. "Carrot cake. He eats carrots like they're his life force, but put them in a cake and it's pretty much a drug for him."

The redhead turned to look at the blonde, her open mouth quickly snapping shut.

The Christmas Eve party wasn't a fancy occasion, just casual wear was required, but seeing Elsa dressed up in "casual" wear made her throat run dry. The blonde was already breathtaking without even trying. Add a tauntingly low V-neck and sinfully tight trousers and Elsa might as well be made a national treasure.

"You look beautiful."

Anna blinked out of her stupor at the sound of Elsa's voice. She was just wearing her green winter dress. "Wha? Oh. Me? Well, ugh…You look beautifuler," she quickly stammered. "I-I mean beautiful. You look more beautiful."

Elsa giggled, the warm sound drawing a smile to Anna's face. She wrapped her arms around Anna's waist and gently pulled her smaller body flush against her own. "Though you're wrong, I appreciate the compliment," she breathed, their forehead's leaning together.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Okay, Casanova. We have a party to get to, in case you've forgotten," she said, though her arms ran up her velvet doublet and hung loosely around Elsa's shoulders.

The blonde smiled. "Well, you said we were already late, right? What's a few more minutes going to count?" Elsa's hand pressed into the small of her back, making Anna squeak in surprise when their hips molded into each other from the extra force. "What if we just don't go at all…?" A playful growl tumbled through the blonde's smirk as she ground her hips suggestively.

It had the opposite desired effect. Anna laughed, long and hearty, at the exaggerated sultry tone dripping from Elsa's voice. Elsa quickly joined her, the princess' laugh too contagious to resist.

When Anna calmed down she held the blonde's face in her hands and gave a quick peck to her scarred cheek. It was a clean white line now, a shallow cut into the otherwise unmarred pale skin.

"Maybe later," she giggled. "We have to get to the party now. I want you to have fun—be happy."

Elsa smiled, purring softly. "As long as I'm with you, I'm always happy."

If only the blonde knew how much those words struck a fragile cord in Anna's heart, maybe she would have been able to see through the pained smile on the princess' face. Anna swallowed hard, looking away. She awkwardly untangled herself from Elsa's arms, though the blonde didn't detect the change in her demeanor.

"W-Well then," she said, flattening an imaginary wrinkle in her dress. "We ugh…Shall we go?"

Elsa smiled toothily, sweeping a deep bow before holding out her arm. "My lady?" she drawled, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Her back was as straight as a board, her other hand folding behind her back.

Anna slipped her hands around her bicep and hugged her warm arm to her chest. "Why, thank you, my love," she drawled back, leaning her head against Elsa's shoulder as the two started for the ballroom.

 

* * *

 

Elsa had never seen so many people in one place before.

Tables upon tables were stuffed into the grand ballroom, overflooding with people. They were eating, talking, standing, sitting, dancing, playing music—it was too much for her to follow. She recognized none of them, though Anna told her that they all worked in the castle.

Well, she recognized Dr. Geri. But she tried to forget about him.

And the  _food_. She was sure there was more food crammed into the single room than she had eaten in her entire life. Meats dripping in sweet sauces and steaming in spices, breads so fresh that the grains melted in her mouth, vegetables concocted in recipes she didn't know she longed for till she smelled them—

It was almost enough to make her forget that she was sitting at the table of honor.

Normally the royal family would not eat among those they were entertaining, but that was only for formal balls and meetings. Now the long table lining the back wall was only distinguished with a thick white tablecloth that draped to the floor while the others sat bare.

King Agdar sat in his wheelchair at the table's middle, Anna on his right (with Elsa sitting beside her) and Kristoff on his left. People came up in lines and groups to share good feelings of celebration with the king and princess.

Elsa spoke barely a word when people approached her, Anna thankfully doing all the talking for her. The only ones she did talk to were Gerda and Kai. They were a sweet old couple. They weren't frightened of her in the least, even when they had to deal with her when she was healing.

The blonde had a unique tactic for dealing with people. It was her natural instinct to make herself look fierce in order to scar away an offending party. So whenever someone strayed too close to her and Anna, her glare and scowl would fire off in defense. It slightly calmed her nerves when they got the message.

It did rub her the wrong way whenever someone would snatch Anna's attention away from her. Being in a crowded room was stressful enough without her innate predisposition to jealousy flaring off every other minute.

But the party was thankfully almost over now. Drunkards were lumbering back to their rooms and dancers were dropping to their seats like dying flies. Anna's present was still tucked securely in her breast pocket. The blonde really didn't know when to give it to her. She supposed she would just wait for Anna to give her hers first. That is, if the princess wasn't thinking the same thing.

Anna looked over at Elsa. It didn't take a genius to see that she was uncomfortable. Her face was a stone set look of hostility, but her frantically bouncing foot and twitching hand were enough to hint her troubles.

She had slipped her hand into Elsa's sweating one early on in the night. A little too early. She wanted this to be a fun time for the blonde, not stressful.

"Hey," she whispered, leaning over to her. "You okay? We can leave if you want."

"Wha?" Elsa blinked and quickly shook her head. "Nonono I'm fine really, Anna. I'm having fun."

The redhead still didn't look convinced. "Okay…" She tightened her grip on her hand, scooting closer to her. The stiffness in Elsa's posture relaxed fractionally from the increase in proximity. "But if you get too uncomfortable just tell me, got it? I know this can be a bit overwhelming—"

A small kiss on her temple quickly shut her up. Luckily her father was distracted at the moment.

"Thank you."

The princess was reduced to a blushing puddle after that. The castle knew of their courting by now. It was hard to keep it a secret since they were inseparable.

The music went on through the evening, people dancing and singing and cheering for a good new year. The wine flowed freely, though she and Elsa didn't partake in any. Anna thought of inviting Elsa to dance, but she discouraged the idea nearly as soon as she thought it. It was hard enough for the blonde to simply sit in the same room as everyone else, but it brought an almost painful smile to her face when she saw the blonde smile, her sparkling eyes drinking in all the new sights and sounds.

But every silver lining came with a stormcloud, and unfortunately for Anna, that stormcloud came in the form of Gerda. The older woman was just stopping by their table before she and her husband retired for the night.

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves," Anna said with a smile. Elsa stiffly shifted in her seat and gave a small confirming grunt.

Gerda smiled back. "Oh, it was lovely, dear. But these old bones need their sleep." She grasped Anna's free hand and shook it gently. "I'll be saying an extra prayer tonight for you, princess. Knowing you, something is bound to go wrong on your trip tomorrow," she laughed.

Anna's shoulders rose to her ears. Her eyes widened in the beginnings of panic when she saw Elsa lean curiously closer.

She tried to play it off. "Pfft. Nothing's going to go wrong, Gerda," she said with a nervous laugh. "I-It's just Christmas."

The older woman sagely shook her head. "Oh no, dear. The sea can be a dangerous place even on the clearest of days. I'll make sure to double check that you're awake in the morning. Wouldn't want to miss your own ship. The Southern Isles is a good few days' travel without delay."

Elsa's grip tightening almost painfully on Anna's hand. "Southern Isles?" Anna chanced a glance at her and felt her stomach twist and flip like a snake when she saw her scowling in what she recognized as the first pre-cursor to the blonde's anger. Icy blues looked at her. "Anna, what is she talking about?" she asked with careful slowness.

Anna swallowed hard. "U-Um, can you excuse me for a sec? I have to—"

She was out of her chair and had only taken two steps before an iron grip on her upper arm forced her to a stop. The princess shrunk back when she found Elsa glaring down at her, brow lowered dangerously over narrowed icy slits. The temperature around them was plummeting at a frightening speed. "What. Is. She. Talking. About," she ground out.

"Ah…W-Well…" Now she was panicking. Anna looked around nervously, Elsa's looming form keeping her from making any sort of speedy retreat. There were too many people here. If Elsa was going to throw her tantrum prematurely, she needed to go somewhere to minimize collateral damage.

She grabbed the hand holding her arm and strode out of the ballroom, not bothering to excuse herself and ignoring the strange looks sent her way as she left. Though the looks she received were probably because of the trail of frost left in their wake as they broke into the hallway.

Elsa pulled away from her the second they were alone, her icy glare seeming to glow ominously in the moonlit hallway. Her hands clenched into icy fists at her sides, and a deep growl brewed in her throat. "Explain.  _Now_ ," she ordered through gritted teeth.

Anna turned to the side and stared at the striped wallpaper, somehow hoping if she wished hard enough that this would vanish into some sort of delusion and she and Elsa were still sitting in the ballroom. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Elsa was supposed to be happy. But a few sentences from Gerda flipped her attitude like a switch.

The princess steeled her nerves. There was nothing she could do about it now.

"I…I'm leaving tomorrow," she slowly said. She took a deep breath and looked up at the glaring blonde, not realizing how close she was. "I have to go to the Southern Isles. But before you get mad, just let me explain—"

" _You're leaving?!_ " Anna flinched from the angry outburst but didn't let herself appear like it affected her. The blonde shook her head, mouth open and gaping for words. "And you…and the Southern Isles…" She grabbed at her hair, a snarl tearing from her throat and echoing throughout the hall. "And you didn't bother  _telling me_?!"

Elsa paced away from her, Anna standing her ground like a statue. "I was going to tell you, Elsa. I just—I wanted you to be happy tonight."

"Oh, yeah. Because I'm _so_  happy right now," the blonde drawled. She turned on her. "And the Southern Isles? What the  _hell_  are you thinking? Do you not remember what they did? Did you just block out that little detail from your memory?"

Anna cocked her jaw. "I don't want to go, but I have to. I'm a princess, Elsa, and like it or not I have duties that I need to follow through with. Papa can't go because of his injury and I was the only option." Her gaze softened. "It's not like I'm going alone. I'll have Kristoff and a horde of soldiers with me."

Elsa paused, leaning back. She closed her eyes to take a deep breath and slowly exhaled through her nose, some of her anger leaving in the gesture. "Fine," she said. She shifted her weight to one leg and crossed her arms. "When are we leaving tomorrow?"

"We…aren't going anywhere," Anna carefully said, trying to soften the impact of her words. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Just me." She touched Elsa's arm. "You can't come with me…"

Elsa was silent for a long minute. Then she laughed, the sound broken and airy. "You're joking, right?" When the redhead only dropped her head, Elsa froze. The breath seemed to wheeze out of her, her lungs suddenly not able to fill properly. "A-Anna?"

Anna said nothing. Elsa shook her head. This wasn't happening. She just got her back. This wasn't happening.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," she breathed. "With everything that they did to your mom, if you go there…" Teal looked up to find arctic blue. "I just don't want you to get hurt…"

"No," Elsa growled, her growing panic quickly morphing and boiling to anger. "I'm going with you. I'm not going to just sit here while you sail off to that godforsaken country. I can take care of myself just fine."

"Elsa, you're just one person. We're going to be on their territory, and even you can't fight a whole nation if they go after you. I'm sorry, but you're st—"

" _No!_ " Elsa roared. Her whole body was shaking, her face a blood red. Anna'd never heard her growl so threateningly, especially towards her. "Either I'm going with you, or you're staying!" She bared her fangs in a snarl. "I'll keep you here if I have to!"

"The decision's been made," Anna said with a political coolness. "I'm going. You're staying."

"You think I can't force myself on that boat?!  _Who the hell's going to stop me?!_ "

Anna jumped forward, their faces a hairsbreadth away. "So help me, I will call up the entire army to block the docks tomorrow if I have to," she hissed through clenched teeth. Elsa's furious breaths exhaled fast and heavy over her face, her chest heaving and her shoulders shaking. "You. Are. Staying."

" _AAHH!_ "

Elsa  _roared_ , her hand shooting out behind herself and firing a blast of ice into the wall. The boards gave way like paper. Armor collapsed and furniture on the opposite side of the wall broke from the hurtling debris. An icy hole yawned from the blast, frost and spikes of ice coating the area.

The silence that ensued was deafening. Elsa glared down at Anna, her princess, her  _mate_. Teal eyes stubbornly held her gaze, undeterred by her aggression. Her vision grew blurry, but she was too angry to assess that they were tears until a droplet trailed down her scarred cheek.

Anna's expression immediately softened. "Elsa, I—"

Elsa brushed her off with a snarl. The redhead could only watch as she turned away from her and stormed down the hallway.

It was no surprise when Anna went to bed alone that night, the guilt festering in her chest keeping her from slumber.

 

* * *

 

It was snowing the next morning. The white powder coated the pier and frosted the topsails.

"Are you ready, Princess?"

Anna jolted to alertness at the voice. She looked with tired eyes at the man talking to her and slowly blinked until her mind woke enough to process what he said. "Oh. Yes. My apologies, Captain Roy," she mumbled. She glanced down the docks for what must have been the hundredth time that morning. She had searched high and low for Elsa, scoring the castle halls and the forest, but there was no sign of her anywhere. Even on the boat, like she feared she would be.

She knew she didn't deserve it, but she was hoping that Elsa would have come to say goodbye.

"Princess?"

Anna turned back to the salty sea captain, an ebony haired man of the same build as her father. "I…Tell the crew we're ready to depart. I've delayed us long enough…"

The captain bowed and spun on his heel up the gang plank.

A hand clapped her on the shoulder. A flutter of hope jumped in her chest before it was quickly crushed when she was met with honey brown eyes instead of icy blue.

"Hey, Red. How're you holding up?"

Anna looked away from him. "Hey, Kristoff," she mumbled.

Kristoff frowned. He had been with the princess for as long as he could remember, but he'd never seen her so…dead before.

He playfully nudged her in hopes to lighten her mood. "Hey, you're doing the right thing, Anna. Everything's going to be okay. This whole thing will blow over before you know it."

Anna nodded numbly. She wanted to believe him.

"Kristoff!" called a voice from the boat. "We could use another pair of hands up here if you don't mind, boy!"

"Coming, Cap'n!" he yelled. He turned back to his friend. "Hey, ugh…if you want to talk or anything, I'll just be a few cabin doors down the hall, okay?"

Anna nodded again. Kristoff opened his mouth to say something more, but thought better of it. He patted her back again and strode onto the ship.

 _I'd better get on too_ , the princess thought numbly. She shook off snow from her hair.  _The sooner I leave, the sooner I can get back._

The princess had taken two steps towards the gangplank before a sudden chill ran up her spine. She spun around and gasped silently when she came face to face with a familiar blonde, her appearance as sudden and stealthy as a ghost.

Elsa looked terrible. She was still in the clothes she had worn to the party the night prior, now wrinkled. Her hair was a messy fray, and her face was drooping in the same state of sleeplessness that hers was. Anna had to stab and kill the urge to jump into her arms and sob her apologies. She had lost that privilege.

"E-Elsa," she quietly stuttered. The blonde looked down at her, icy blues darting over her face. Anna didn't know what to say. I…I-I was—"

Strong arms yanked her forward, pressing her body against Elsa's warm one while the blonde held her in a desperately tight grip. She felt her face bury against the side of her shoulder. Elsa was so tensed that her body was beginning to shake. Anna immediately returned the embrace, pressing against Elsa's neck and breathing in her familiar smoky scent.

"Do you have to go?" Elsa asked into her neck, her voice a choked rasp.

Anna closed her eyes and nodded, refusing to let herself cry. She rubbed Elsa's back in an attempt of comfort. "You'll be fine, Elsa. I'll only be gone for a few weeks."

Elsa slowly untangled herself from the redhead, looking anywhere but at her. Snow had gathered over her shoulders and in her hair in a soft white powder.

Anna leaned forward for a passing kiss, the blonde doing nothing for a solid few seconds before desperately reciprocating. She tightly held the princess as if some unseen enemy were trying to pry her away from her. The kiss was harsh but warm, emotions physically expressed in a tango of tastes and familiar touches.

But as soon as it started, it was over. The grip on Anna's arms was released and the lips over her own had vanished, her nerves feeling uncomfortably cold in the absence of Elsa's warm touch. A sudden weight was forced into her hand before all trace of the blonde was gone.

Anna looked down at her hand. A small gift was folded between her fingers. The red ribbon wrapped around it may have once been a bow, but was now just a small knot. The drawn snowflakes covering the paper were smudged and blurred in distorted places, and the redhead felt a hot dagger stab her heart when she realized they were from tears.

Anna had only glanced at it before she looked up at the blonde. But when she looked back in front of her, Elsa was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Such a clutter of emotions. I was laughing then steaming and then crying through this one (gotta get myself in that state of mind, ya know?) **
> 
> ** Elsa's sword is my little rip off of Longclaw but I have no shame. It's a damn sexy piece of steel. **
> 
> ** Hope ya enjoyed! **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	28. Stuck Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

A spark of blue engulfed Anna's vision from the crash of swords. The metal slid and smacked in a high-pitched ring in the frozen air. Sweat froze to her body in glossy droplets, cracking and falling off with every side-step her feet made on the deck.

Her opponent swung his weight backwards and exposed his sword hand. Anna smirked. It was almost too easy to disarm him. Again.

A few swings of her sword later, the force of her foot against his chest slammed him against the frosted planks of the shipdeck, his sword clattering somewhere to the right. The sailor under her boot thickly swallowed as her sword tip tilted his chin up to silently command surrender. Anna's chest heaved from the fight, but her mind felt somewhat rejuvenated from the exertion. Even if it was for just a second.

The hoots and jeers of the crew around her were almost deafening. A broad fur mitten clapped against her shoulder and would have landed her face-first against the deck if she hadn't caught herself. Not that it would have been a surprise to anyone if she fell again. The whole ship was frozen, the blood-chilling temperatures of the White Sea in the middle of winter sparing not even an inch of sail from frozen sea water.

Nature was practically begging her to slip on the glossy planks.

"Haha!" The body attached to the bear hand on her shoulder leered over her downed opponent. The redheaded princess barely resisted the urge to lean into the layers of furs he was wearing. She had borrowed a pair of Kristoff's common clothes to spar in. They weren't exactly insulated.

Kristoff was against sparring with the sea-dogs. He claimed it was a waist of energy and injury. But it was the best—and only—way for them to pass the time. And to keep warm, to an extent. Anna would have loved to spar with him instead, but the blonde had taken to hiding in his cabin since departure.

"Ya call that a fight, Jorton? I've seen babes swing sticks better than ya can swing a sword!" The burly sailor threw his head back in a laugh, his barreled chest like a bouncing stone against Anna's side. "Now pay up, ya bastard!"

Jorton spat and grumbled to his feet. "Shut yer trap. You'll get yer five damn coins when I feel like it."

Anna shrunk back when the man tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Whaddya say ta me, boy?"

_Oh gods not again._

Jorton spat at the ground again, his chin held high. The ensuing tackle and grapple of the two men nearly shook the mainmast.

"I'll send ya back ta the mainland with yer tail between yer legs when I'm done with ya!"

"Is that right, boy? Tell yer mother I send my regards when you run home crying. I can still smell the old whore on my cock!"

 _Don't slip don't slip_ , Anna thought as she wove backwards to avoid being trampled beneath the seemingly hundreds of men that jumped to surround the brawl. She broke through the sweaty line and sucked in a frozen breath of relief, though the captain's intimidating figure storming past her to break up the fight nearly threw her overboard.

One of her castle guards ran up to her to escort her away, staring disgustedly at the savage seamen. She couldn't blame him. She had the same reaction on the first day. Captain Roy's men were a burly but kind-hearted bunch. She was a princess in her kingdom, but to them—on their ship—she was just a headstrong redhead with a wicked sword-arm.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" her escort asked. Anna craned her neck to look up at the lanky man. His name was Powell, if she recalled correctly. A tall, older man who looked more like a vulture than a human, but who had a big heart and a love for the royal family. She thought often why she hadn't met him in the castle.

 _Because he's a bookworm_ , she thought, looking at his long, hanging limbs.  _All the muscle in his body must have sapped into his brain._

"I'm fine, Ser Powell, really. I swordfight all the time." She nodded her head at the now calm crewmen submissively taking a tongue-lashing from their captain. "And he's nothing I've never fought before."

Powell's jaw twitched. "Of course, Your Highness," he reluctantly said. "But I would be lying if I said I am at ease with your… _insistence_  to spar with these men."

The knight turned away just as Anna opened her mouth to object. The shivering redhead snapped her mouth shut and quickly snatched the black bear cloak that he produced from somewhere behind him. She threw it around herself with a content sigh, half from the desperate warmth it provided and half from the familiarity of it. She thought it might be her good luck charm on the voyage since it had helped save her from the cold when Elsa first gave it to her.

"News from the captain is normal," Powell said, turning to look at the ocean like the sentinel vulture that he resembled. "Wind is fair and the waters calm. The icy fog has yet to recede, but visibility has improved."

Anna leaned against the railing, her cloak wrapped over her head and body so that just her face showed in the plush black fur, the excess pooling at her feet. She smirked when she saw Ser Powell swallow hard. She could only imagine how hard it was for him not to roll his eyes and scold her.

"And the time of our arrival?"

"On schedule. We should be in port before sundown."

Anna jumped when the old knight startled himself and hastened a disgruntled bow. "My deepest apologies, Your Highness. I forgot to relay a most important chapter of my report from the captain. There was another ship sighted not quite an hour ago. Starboard side."

The redheaded princess looked over her shoulder, squinting into the chalky fog that swallowed the horizon. It wasn't that much of a surprise that another ship was spotted. They had already passed three other royal ships heading to the Southern Isles as well. Some of them got so close to them that they could shout to each other.

She could just make out a dark speck.  _Damn sun._   _You had one job. Well, maybe not one job. But clearing up this crap would be really helpful right now._ "What colors are they flying?"

Powell stood up. "It's hard to tell in this fog, Your Highness. Some men say it's gold, but I wouldn't trust them on it. I can barely see the foremast, let alone the banner."

Anna almost smiled. There were only a handful of kingdoms that flew gold, her Aunt being one of them. It slightly calmed her nerves to know that she would be porting with the Corona royal, whether it be her or another member of her family.

The speck of a ship grew with each passing second. "They're gonna catch up to us," she said.

"That's impossible, Your Highness.  _The Commodore_  is the fastest ship in the White Sea."

Anna pushed off the railing, her cloak falling to rest properly on her shoulders. Ser Powell raised a curious brow when a stoic mask fell solemnly over the young woman's face. "You can tell them that after they caught us," she mumbled, turning on her heel and striding towards the captain.

 

* * *

 

It took five days for Kristoff to finally talk to her.

She didn't mind the silence. She was used to it. The sounds of the sea and her own conscience were company enough.

He was mad at her. She could tell. Well, frustrated more like. But it wasn't her fault.

Maybe a little.

Well, maybe a bit more than a little.

"T…Th-Then…he we…went s-south…in the-e…" Icy eyes squinted at the weathered page, the assortment of dirt marks—no,  _letters_ —bunching together in her mind.

"Rehe…Rehib…Reheba..." Elsa growled and rolled her eyes. Today was just not her day.

She looked back to the page. "Un…der—under…the cover-r of…nigit."

"Night."

Elsa fixed Kristoff with a frozen glare, her growl rumbling through the small cabin. "Shut up." She held the book close to her face. "Why is there a g in night?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes, stretching his arms as best as he could even though his head nearly hit the ceiling. "You do realize Anna's going to kill you, right?"

Elsa shot the knight another icy glare from her make-shift cot, her previous thoughts evaporating like smoke. "Can it, reindeer man. You're the one who dragged me into this. If she's killing anybody, it's gonna be you."

She half regretted the chilling tone of her words. She was a bit on edge, to say the least. The last time she was on a boat, she was in a cage. Hiding as a stow-away wasn't that much different, in her opinion.

But today was especially irritating. The source of it was nowhere and everywhere, hanging around her like a foreboding mist. Maybe the hard days at sea were finally getting to her. Whatever it was, it had her pacing and growling since before dawn.

The blonde knight's brow shot to his hairline. "Don't you dare try to act like this is my fault. I did your sorry ass a favor. You would be mopping around the castle like a kicked pup if it weren't for me. But if you're so apposed, then by all means, jump out the porthole and swim back to Arendelle."

Elsa cocked her jaw. She huffed and looked at said porthole as the knight plopped onto his small bed. He wasn't wrong.

"And…," he continued. "Anna would have ripped you a new one if she caught you trying to sneak up the back of the ship. Mostly because you could have drowned if you didn't reach the boat before it left port. Furthermore—"

"Yes yes yes but you found me instead and  _valiantly_  snuck me into your room like the amazing friend that you are," Elsa groaned with a roll of her eyes. "I already said thanks. What more do you want?"

Kristoff pursed his lips. "You forgot the part about me having to split my rations with you. I haven't had a decent meal in days because of you."

"It hasn't been too great for me either. You try staying locked up down here for five days. See how  _your_ sanity holds up."

The knight waved his hand. "Porthole is wide open, Ice Block."

Elsa promptly threw her book at his face, the knight screeching like a kicked dog and falling pitifully onto his back.

Smirking, she watched him cradle his nose as she strode to the small opening that was the porthole. Though she didn't quite know why they called it a hole. It was a square. But she supposed she would never understand the quirks of humans.

She leaned her back against the opening, enjoying the crisp frozen sea mist that sprayed her neck and shoulders. It felt good to be in comfortable clothes again. By comfortable, she meant used and loose—a highcollared vest and a pair of only slightly wholly pants she made Kristoff swipe from the cabin boy.

"Jerk…" Kristoff grumbled. Elsa gave a fanged grin. "Tell me again, what is your grand plan for after we get to the Southern Isles? Gonna stay on this boat for three weeks? Come out and show yourself? You know Anna'll throw you on the next ship out of there the second she knows you're here."

Elsa turned to look out the porthole, laying her head in her hands. "She can try," she grumbled. "We're not in Arendelle anymore. She has no army to force me away. I can deal with her 'wrath' after we're safely back in Arendelle."

The knight shook his head. "You underestimate an angry Anna. I've seen grown men cry because of her."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a man, now is i—"

Elsa's vision suddenly turned white. An invisible body tackled her from the side and crashed her into the adjacent wall with nearly bone crushing force. She slid off into a pile of something that felt like hay. It was only after her numb body swam back to the land of the living that she realized it was chunks of splintered wood.

Her eyes stung terribly from the dust of the torn wood. Her next breath sent her into a fit of suffocating coughs, feeling like she was hacking up her innards.

"E…Elsa?" Kristoff called from somewhere beyond the ringing in her ears. "Elsa, you okay?"

Gruff hands haphazardly pulled her into a standing position. Her blurry vision managed to bring concerned hazel eyes into focus. "Kristoff?" she wheezed, her senses slowly crawling back to her.

Another jarring force jerked them forwards and would have landed them on their backs if the wall wasn't behind them. Grinding wood groaned above them, occasional snaps making Elsa jerk like it was her own bones breaking.

Her blood ran fast when she looked to the side and found the corner of her cot now nothing more than a gaping hole of wooden splinters. Whatever beast did the deed was buried deep into the dresser and partially through the wall. She would have gone to see what it was if it wasn't for Kristoff's vice grip on her shoulders.

"What…What the hell is that?" she tried to exclaim. Kristoff was already dragging them to the door, his own feet shakier than hers.

"Canon…," he gasped. He pushed them into the doorway. "...under attack..."

Cold fear surged through Elsa's body. Anna. She needed to find Anna. Keep Anna safe.

She tore from Kristoff's grip and stumbled into the hallway, her feet orientating themselves beneath her. Ignoring Kristoff's calls, she sprinted down the hall as fast as her shaky legs could carry her. It was difficult to find, but once she caught Anna's scent she was able to navigate herself with relative ease through the chaos below deck.

It didn't take long to find the strongest source. She didn't bother banging on the door, rather just breaking into the locked room with a few good kicks at the handle.

But no Anna.

"Of course you're not in your room. That'd be too  _easy,_ " she growled.

The narrow hallway was packed full of rushing bodies, every man madly rushing to where they were needed. Elsa grabbed the nearest man like a salmon from a river and threw him against the wall of Anna's cabin.

"What the hell do you think you're—"

Elsa grabbed his collar and pushed him into the wall. "Anna!" she snarled, the color of the seaman's face draining to white at the savage sound. "Where is Anna?!"

"I-I don't—"

She slammed him into the wall with enough force to splinter the weakened wood. "Where is she?!"

The man swallowed hard against her fists. "T-Top deck. Last t-time I heard—"

Elsa released her grip, the man sliding to the ground in a frightened heap. She dove into the fray of men, utilizing her senses to find where the deck was before advancing. She shoved past most and forced others out of the way, jumping stairs two and three at a time before she broke into the chaos on top of the ship.

She almost covered her ears from the cacophony of deafening clashes of metal on metal, worsened only by the cries of pain and howls of fighting. There wasn't a foot of room on the frosted deck that wasn't being trampled on by parrying feet.

Elsa looked around. Though their's was a large vessel, an equally if not larger ship was rammed into its backside, its blunt ramming guard sticking it into the captain's cabin like a splinter. Enemies clad in roughly patched furs swarmed off of it to meet the defense desperately trying to fight them off, though they were vastly outnumbered.

Elsa spun around, each second passing that she didn't find a head of familiar red hair adding a pound of worry in the pit of her stomach.

A thump on the deck behind her had her dodge to the side just in time to avoid a skull-splitting sword swing. The man holding the weapon sneered at her from behind his abundance of furs. His battle cry was a puff of white air as he came slashing at her again. The blonde nimbly dodged, but was brought to a quick halt when she bumped into another fur-clad stranger that turned and glared at her before joining the first in his attack.

Elsa forced herself to find her footing.  _I don't have time for this._  She growled at the two men, the bass of the near roar making them stop and stare. They looked surprised...confused even.

She crouched low, stomping her foot against the planks. Thick tendrils of ice shot from beneath her to cover the deck in a thick film that had both sides slipping to grab a hold of anything that would steady them, the less fortunate ones simply falling onto their backs. Spikes grew up like towering stalagmites, casting wide shadows.

The two men gawked at her in terrified awe. Elsa steadied her crouch.  _And to think I almost forgot that look._  She pounced forward to deck one of the men with an icy first while her other conjured a shard of ice that rammed into the other's stomach and sent him sliding across the deck.

"Retreat!" someone screeched. The enemy didn't need to be told twice. One sight at the ice beneath their feet and the savages were scrambling back to their own ship.

Elsa chased after the cowards, the one who had confiscated the helm turning tail as soon as she drew near. His sudden release on the circular device sent it spinning wildly to the right, the whole ship turning threateningly on its side.

The blonde scrambled to grab the helm before she slipped on her own ice and careened overboard. The sudden jarring from the enemy ship extracting itself from their rear didn't exactly help the crew that were holding onto the rails for dear life.

"Come… _on_ …" Elsa struggled to turn the wheel straight, the ship gradually coming back to equilibrium. The blonde carefully let go of the wheel once all seemed well. She didn't want to disturb this monstrous contraption again.

"Anna!" a panicked voice shouted. Elsa's head snapped up. Kristoff was leaning over the railing, his thickly bundled feet slipping on her ice. " _Anna!_ "

The knight threw down his sword and yanked off his furs, but he was pulled backwards before he could climb over the railing and dive after the fallen princess. He only caught a glimpse of Elsa's back before she jumped overboard. "Elsa!" Kristoff leaned over the railing with the rest of the men, seeing only the churning water pass below them.

It wasn't even a minute later that Elsa resurfaced with the seemingly unconscious princess. The crew and captain scrambled behind him to find a rope to pull them back up while Elsa swam back to the side of the ship, but it wasn't needed. Gasps and curses were shouted when Elsa shifted into her animal form. The silver tiger's jaws hastily found a strong grip on Anna's clothes before clawing up the side of the ship. Her thick fur was slicked flat, powerful arms and large paws easily finding hold on the knobbed wood.

"Give her some space!" Kristoff yelled as he carefully took Anna from Elsa's grip and laid her on the now unfrozen deck. She was a queer eggwhite shade of pale, her chest not moving to take in breath.

"Anna." Elsa knelt on her opposite side. She lightly tapped her face. "Anna, are you alright?"

"Get away from 'er, ya demon!" The blonde was roughly yanked back, burly arms sending her staggering yards away. A protective barrier of crewmen stood between her and Anna while Arendilian soldiers huddled around the princess to try to revive her.

Elsa growled, gritting her teeth. She took a step forwards to try to at least get a glimpse of her redhead, but the crew shuffled in her way. Her ears twitched when she heard footsteps circling from behind her as well.

Ice swirled around her palms. "Move," she snarled, voice dangerously low.

One of the men spat at her feet. "Like hell we will." He and his comrades took position to strike, posture low and weapons and fists at the ready. "Get off our ship and crawl back under whateva rock you came out from! We don't want yer black magic!"

The already frozen air plummeted to zero. Elsa waved her hands, power gathering in her palms and ready to blast these idiots of her way—

"Elsa, stop!" Kristoff yelled. He looked to the crew. "Just let her through. She's with me."

"We don't take orders from you, boy," someone snarled.

"Fine," he snorted. "Go ahead. Go right on ahead and toss her overboard. Run her through. Kill her. I'll make sure the princess knows you lot opted to  _kill her girlfriend_  instead of doing the rational thing and  _calm the hell down_!"

The crew paused. They looked at each other in a gauge of reaction before the first man dropped his sword. Everyone gradually followed the lead, going to join ranks with the castle guard who were watching the scene unfold with drawn swords. Though it was unknown whose side they would jump to if fighting broke out.

Elsa hesitated for a long second before lowering her hands. Her growl rang low and loud, her gritting teeth and twisting fists making the crewmen wary of her. She shoved passed the men in front of her to get back to Anna's side— _unconscious_ Anna's side.

_Note to self: Anna will always find a way to drown herself if ANY body of water is nearby._

A crooked looking man was pressing against Anna's chest when she was finally able to see her. The seawater was quickly freezing to her body in cracked sheets, like it would on Elsa if she didn't have an abnormal body temperature. She rubbed one of the redhead's stiff hands, concern churning in her chest like an animal trapped in a cage.

"How's she doing, Powell?"

The crooked man looked at Kristoff. "Better than she could be, sir. She was only under for a few minutes, so she should be coming to shortly."

Elsa subconsciously tightened her grip on Anna's hand as she watched him. She almost tore Powell away from her after seeing how hard he was pushing on her chest. Her heart jumped at every press, waiting for the second when Anna's ribcage would snap inwards from the force—

Powell bent down and kissed Anna, staying on her lips for a solid five seconds before Elsa could truly believe what she was seeing.

She promptly ripped him away and caved her fist into his face.

His blunt scream of pain wasn't enough as she went for another. Two pairs of arms struggled to pull her away, but not before she landed two more blows. She vaguely heard Kristoff shouting at her and someone choking. The otherworldly growl and heated glare directed at Powell quickly redirected to the others that were placing themselves between her and her target.

She was brought back to her proper senses by a familiar whine. "Anna," she said, throwing away those trying to restrain her and falling at her side. She cradled her rolling head against her chest and watched teal eyes squint into focus. The redhead was shivering so hard that Elsa could hear her teeth clanking together.

"Anna? You alright?" she asked. Icy eyes searched her pale face for an answer, but Anna just continued to shiver and whine. Elsa made her look up at her. " _Anna_ ," she slowly said. "Can you hear me?"

The princess blinked, her frozen face contorting into confusion. "E-El…Els-sa?" She coughed pitifully. "Y-You're h-here-e?"

Elsa beamed happily. "Of course I'm here," she said softly, thumb rubbing an unnaturally cold cheek.

Teal eyes suddenly narrowed. "I-I'm going t-to kill y-you."

_Oh boy._

"W-What are y-you doing h-here?" It was obvious that the redhead was trying to shout—at the very least to look furious—but all she could pull off at the moment was an angry wheeze and an unbearably cute attempt at a snarl.

Elsa looked around. The crew were leaning in curiously.  _Great. All I need is to give them a reason to try to fight me._

The blonde looked up to find Kristoff and tried to relay an unspoken message with a bob of her head towards the cabin doors. She nearly smacked herself when a few frustrated attempts earned her nothing but confused hazel doe-eyes and a still ranting redhead in her arms. Keeping her groan a heavy sigh, Elsa simply went with it and scooped the princess into her arms and headed for the doors without looking back. Thankfully Kristoff seemed to finally get her message and stayed to explain why the men should not fight her and tear their princess from the new stranger's arms.

"I t-told you-u specif…specifically n-not to c-come," Anna spat. Elsa nearly laughed when the angry redhead clung ever closer to her in a desperate search for warmth.

The splintered door to Anna's cabin was already thrown open from when she broke in earlier. Elsa kicked the mangled wood closed behind her before Anna squirmed in silent demand to be put down, to which she reluctantly obliged.

The shivering redhead shuffled to her dresser, Elsa behind her. "Do y-you have any idea-a w-what you-you've done?" She struggled to take off her pants and shirt. The material was nearly frozen onto her skin. Elsa stepped forward to help take her shirt off, but the princess weakly shoved her off before struggling to do it herself.

"T-The Southern Isles i-is  _da-dangerous_." She quickly swiped the water from her body before throwing on a clean, thick blouse. She turned to Elsa, half-naked and her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Teal eyes glared at the blonde when her gaze traveled down to her naked half. " _E-Elsa_ ," she bit out.

Icy eyes snapped up. Her cheeks heated lightly in embarrassment, but it wasn't her fault. Anna was…well, she was Anna. "I'm going to need you to put on some pants before you say anything else."

Anna cocked her jaw with a shivering growl. She stomped towards the blonde until they were nearly chest to chest and glared up at her. "T-This is serious, E-Elsa."

Elsa cocked an eyebrow. "I am being serious. You need pants."

Anna gritted her teeth, some red finally coming back into her face albeit from anger. She grabbed her pants from behind her and slid into them without breaking eye-contact with the blonde. "L-Like talking to a w-wall," she mumbled. "D-Do you ever l-listen to me?"

"Not if I can help it." Elsa smirked at the heated frown and glare shot to her. She shifted her weight onto one leg, crossing her arms over her soaked vest. "Anna, did you seriously think I would've stayed behind while you sailed off to some godforsaken islands? Islands which are the homeland of the man who tortured my mother into a surperweapon and tried to murder us and your father?"

Anna stood up, her pants on but not yet tied and her wet hair in as much disarray as her emotions. She pursed her lips. "I  _t-thought_  you would trust my j-judgement. Of all pe-people I t-thought  _you_  would d-do that."

Elsa returned her glare. "Then your thoughts were not your own. You know me.  _Anna_  knows me." Her expression softened, her hands gently squeezing Anna's upper arms. She would have hugged her if her clothes weren't freezing wet. "I'm staying with you whether you like it or not."

Anna opened her mouth to argue, but Elsa had already spun her around and led her to her bed. "No more arguing," she said finitely. She forced her in and tucked the thick blankets up to her chin. Anna's shivering figure was nearly lost in the mass of furs and quilts. "Shut up and warm up. I'll be right here."

Teal eyes looked at her for a long minute before Anna sighed defeatedly. She mumbled something into the blankets.

Elsa perked her ears. "What was that?"

Anna looked at her. "I-I said: Take y-your clothes off and g-get in."

Elsa arched a quizzical brow. "Anna, I hardly think this is the time or place."

Teal eyes rolled. "Not l-like that, idiot." She scooted over and threw open the covers. "Warm me u-up."

"Oh. Right."

A few quick movements later, Elsa's sea-laden clothes laid in a soaking pile on the floor. She gave her body a quick wipe-down to flick off any loose moisture—completely conscious of teal eyes staring holes into her—before climbing into bed. Anna immediately latched onto her.

"I m-missed you," she mumbled against her neck.

Elsa wrapped her warm arms around her. "I missed you too," she said, snuggling into wet red locks. "Just promise me you won't leave me again."

"I promise." Anna felt her numb body start to thaw with Elsa's warmth, her heat sinking deep into her frozen flesh. "Hey, Elsa?"

"What?"

"Do y-you think I'm an idiot?"

"Of course not. I think you possess above average intelligence." Elsa grunted from a playful jab to her side. She laughed. "I'm joking, Anna. But even though you're incredibly smart, you do have the tendency to do some very stupid things."

"I said I was s-sorry."

"I know I know," she cooed. "What brings up that question? Did someone say something to you?" The thought brought her to alert, looking down at the still snuggling princess.

Anna giggled. "No one said anything, Elsa. Though I-I'm sure if I told you there was, you would probably do something that I would have to apologize on your behalf for."

"Nonsense. They might get a terrible case of ice spike through bowels, but that doesn't mean  _I_  did it." Elsa smiled when Anna laughed again, her shivering declining to a small trembling. "But you still haven't answered my question."

Anna cuddled closer to her. "We're going to be docking tonight."

"So I've heard."

"Over a dozen dignitaries are g-going to be there. If I screw this up, Arendelle will be the laughing stock of every kingdom from here to Agrabah."

Cool hands ran comfortingly down her back. "You'll be fine, Anna," Elsa breathed. "I'll be right by your side the entire time. I'm your bodyguard, remember? And if I recall correctly, you are the princess who single-handedly dragged me out of my... _isolation_  and helped stop a madman from taking over Arendelle. You can handle these people."

"And if I can't?"

Elsa pulled her closer. "Then  _I'll_  have a little talk with them. And I have a feeling it won't be fancy talk."

Anna felt her eyelids sliding close. "You're…ridiculous."

Elsa kissed her hair. "I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** This is Elsanna back together—wait, wrong fandom...;) **
> 
> ** Hope y'all enjoyed! **
> 
> ** -REKA **


	29. Strange Happenings in the South

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Fufufu...long chappy **
> 
> ** Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. **

They docked late afternoon the next day. Damages to the ship made them have to quarter their speed in hopes of not sinking. It wasn't as terrifying as it sounded, considering the captain withheld the information until they reached a safe distance to land.

Anna knew he had some ulterior motive for giving them chocolate for breakfast.

The Southern Isles was a small place. Built upon steep cliffs, its harbor could only fit a handful of ships at a time. The capitol was the only place for civilization for miles. Steep mountains capped in glossy snow prevented any real habitation.

"Keep 'er steady!" Anna heard Captain Roy yell somewhere behind her when another wave crashed against their exposed backside. Nature was practically throwing them into the harbor.

The princess shivered beneath her thick winter clothes, frozen sea mist doing nothing to help her freezing body. Once they got to land, it would be warmer with the cliffs blocking the incoming wind.

"It's so…tall," Elsa mumbled, leaning against the stairs on deck. She partially hid behind them like a child behind her mother's skirts.

Anna glanced at her. The capitol housed just as many citizens as Arendelle's in some not-so-safe feat of architecture. Houses stretched several stories tall and leaned precariously over narrow streets. People bustled about everywhere on foot like ants in a kicked hill.

There was a loud smack when the gangplank was lowered onto the short dock. Anna turned to her blonde companion, frowning when Elsa retreated further behind the stairs.

The redhead sighed and walked to her side. "Elsa…" The taller woman flinched when she touched her arm but settled when she recognized the hand. She didn't look up.

Anna cocked her jaw, both frustrated and concerned. This was exactly why she didn't want her to come. Too many new faces and places for her to fear.

"I…" Elsa thickly swallowed. "T-They'll see me."

Anna's frustration evaporated in a millisecond. She'd forgotten the blonde's adversity to common folk. Even in Arendelle where the news spread by her father hailed her as a hero, she couldn't so much as walk through town square without hyperventilating. It wasn't that she had a bias against the poor. They just reminded her of crowds that she would sooner want to forget.

Anna wordlessly unclasped her black velvet cloak (meant as a decoration when she was received at the castle) and wrapped it around Elsa's shoulders. The blonde blinked at her questioningly when she snapped the silver clasp in the front and pulled the thick hood over her head.

"There," she said, patting Elsa's sides and shoulders to smooth the long material and brush off imaginary lint. She tucked any visible platinum hair into the hood and pulled it further over her face. She kissed the still confused blonde's nose. "No one will give you a second glance. Though they'll be wishing they were able to. I mean you are the most beautiful woman  _I_ 've ever seen. But hey, if you want to deprive these Southern backwash folk, that's your burden."

Elsa hesitated before a fanged smile split across her face. The relief and thankfulness that melted her tense features was overshadowed only by the raw affection in her gaze. "Thank you, Anna."

Anna grinned in return, grabbing Elsa's hand from somewhere in the folds of velvet. "Now come on. The sooner we get to the castle, the sooner we can get some decent sleep." The two women carefully walked off the icy gangplank, heading towards a small open-roofed carriage that was waiting for them. The driver at the reins didn't give them a second glance when they approached. "I might cry when I get into a decent bed."

Elsa laughed. "Go ahead. I won't judge." Anna playfully swatted her arm.

Anna climbed into the wagon with Elsa's assistance, the blonde jumping up right after. They had to adjust so that Anna was half-sitting in her lap in the single narrow seat. It looked and felt rather awkward, but arriving at the castle separately was out of the question.

Kristoff—clad in his ornate royal armor with his  _very_  heavy two-handed sword strapped to his back over his cape— had to hang on to the back.

Poor man.

The driver whipped the reins as soon as Kristoff was situated, though he nearly fell off as soon as they started moving. The ground was all uneven cobblestone hidden under a concoction of snow and dirt sludge.

Elsa kept her head bowed during the uncomfortable ride. Only Anna could catch even a glimpse of her face. She rubbed her thumb over the back of her hand to calm her. City goers shot them glares and curious glances as they paved their way through the overly crowded street, a pair of dogs running alongside the carriage to clear the way ahead of them.

Elsa lifted her head only when Anna said they had arrived and even then only enough to catch a glimpse of the castle. The blonde had to bite back her gasp of awe. Either the Southern Isles were gaudy or Arendelle modest, but either way the behemoth of stone in front of her overshadowed the familiar image of Arendelle.

The palace was situated in front of a stone hill. It arched away from it towards the town in the shape of a large crescent moon, the only way in or out being over a heavily guarded drawbridge. Unlike the stone and wooden Castle Arendelle, this was entirely stone and iron with a mountain to its back and forests to either side.

 _It kindof looks like an ant_ , Elsa thought absentmindedly.  _Like those big pincers that the fat red ones have._

They rocked over the drawbridge and into the large courtyard until finally they were allowed off. Anna had bitten her tongue in the round-a-bout and was cursing low enough for only Elsa to hear. The redhead saw her small smirk when she helped her off and stuck out her swollen tongue, to which Elsa's grin grew into a smile.

But when Anna reached up to pull down her hood, her smile instantly vanished. She jumped back from the princess and pulled the velvet closer around her from reflex.

Anna cocked her jaw, glancing at the arrangement of guards and scribes and servants busying about the courtyard. "Elsa, you need to take the hood off," she whispered, barely moving her lips.

Elsa blinked. "Why?"

The redhead turned to the doors and straightened her dress. "When we go inside, we're going to be received by King Anders. His temper is as fragile as paper thin glass. At least, that's what Papa said. I've never met him in person. But if I bring a guest—a  _bodyguard_ —draped like an assassin, gods know what fit he'll have." She glanced around to check for unwanted eyes before turning to the blonde, smiling in an effort of comfort.

"It'll only be for a few minutes," she continued, her hands finding the edge of the hood and slowly pulling it down. Elsa's brow furrowed into a frustrated but submissive line. Anna could hear her teeth grind when she was fully exposed.

"Look at me." Elsa reluctantly dragged her eyes upward. "Nothing is going to happen. You're safe with me, remember? And I with you."

The blonde sighed. "I kno—"

Elsa jumped when the large oaken doors to the castle were thrown open.

"Princess Anna!" a baritone voice harroled from the entryway. Metal scratched against metal as a handful of armored men rushed to line the stairs that led from the snowy ground to the doors. They carried banners of blinding gold and blood red.

Elsa moved closer to her redhead, glaring over their armor and weapons and calculating escape routes.

"Please excuse my current state of dress, princess. Had I known you were arriving, I would have made myself presentable," the same deep voice said, accompanied by a click of boots on stone as it approached them.

Elsa looked up at the approaching man. Her body stopped mid-breath. That face. That auburn hair. Those queer green eyes and haphazard smirk.

_Hans._

A growl boiled in the back of her throat. She slowly crouched beside Anna, baring her fangs and glaring murder. She could feel herself slip into some primal instinct the more she stared at him.

A jab to her side made her look down into hardened teal. " _Elsa_ ," Anna said through gritted teeth. The blonde stopped growling, confused. The princess folded her hands in front of her. "Behave."

Anna curtsied when the footsteps stopped in front of her, one of her hands pulling Elsa's cloak to force her into a bow beside her. "King Anders," she coolly greeted. She straightened her back, ignoring the glare Elsa bore into her head.

The blonde snapped her head to the man with a partial snarl. He wore crisp white trousers with freshly shined riding boots and a golden double breasted jacket heavy with metals and tassels, all complete with a deep red sash around his waist and across his chest.

Elsa quickly sucked in her growl. This man was not Hans. Everything was the same, right down to those grotesque sideburns, but this man was different. He was  _much_  older. He had a stronger jaw and wider shoulders, a weird shape of beard that only surrounded his mouth and chin.

Elsa was broken from her thoughts when Anna extended her hand for a kiss. It was the strangest greeting the humans ever conceived, but she was glad Anna had told her about it prior to now. She may have accidentally hurt the king.

"Your Highness," he reverently said, lips as pink as earthworms after a storm grazing Anna's knuckles. What Elsa assumed was his crown—the ridiculous thing couldn't be anything but—didn't so much as slip when he bent forward, like it was glued to his head. It was rather curious considering Elsa had never seen Anna's father wear his. "I must say that our meeting is much over due. It is an honor to receive such a beautiful woman into my humble castle."

Elsa couldn't hide her sneer.  _Humble?_

The ornate king closed his mouth from what surely would have been another obnoxious declaration when a man appeared from behind him. Elsa blinked in confusion at the newcomer. She hadn't seen him.  _She_ hadn't seen him. He appeared behind the monarch like he melted from his shadow.

Curious, the blonde cocked her head to try to catch what was being whispered, her eyes never leaving the strange man. He must have been someone important if the thousands of swirls etched into his silver armor were anything to go by.

Anders swatted his hand. "Yes yes very well. Away with you then," he grumbled. The ebony-haired man stood back, keeping his gaze down. He bowed and mumbled his thanks to his king before repeating the courtesy to Anna.

He left back into the castle without so much as a glance at Elsa.

The blonde followed his retreat until his steps faded away, her attention brought back by Ander's loud voice. "I apologize for the interruption. My knight has some prior engagement to attend to." From where the first man had exited, another one entered. Though he was wearing patched together parts of iron armor and looked like he had just woken up from a drunken stupor. He didn't bow to either monarch.

Anna just smiled, clasping her hands in front of her to warm her numbing fingers from the cold. "It's no problem at all, Your Majesty. You have my thanks for receiving me at this hour. I hope you will forgive me for my tardiness."

Elsa looked at her like the princess had grown a second head. She'd never heard her talk so…princess-y before.

Anders laughed. It was a strange guttural sound, almost like he was choking. "It is no fault at all, princess. You're not the last to arrive. I am simply thankful that you reached us safely. Please forgive me for saying again, but word of mouth does not do your beauty justice. And never have I ever seen such a peculiar birthmark. It's quite stunning."

Anna blinked in confusion before processing his words. "O-Oh. Yes," she laughed nervously. She touched her head where the streak of platinum white trailed through her braid. She had almost forgotten about that. "I was born with it. Though I dreamt I was kissed by a troll."

The king laughed again. "Ah, I see Agdar's daughter inherited her mother's looks and her father's humor! Though, if you pardon my saying, it does look like you could do with a hot meal after such a long journey. Please, join me in the dining hall. I insist. It is a rather strange hour to dine, but I would not be opposed if I am in your company." His eyes found their way to Elsa, nearly forcing another growl out of the blonde. "Your slave can take your things to your room while w—"

"She is  _not_  my  _slave_ ," Anna loudly interrupted. The king looked taken aback by the fierce change in demeanor. But the princess' deadly glare quickly reined itself back to a gritted smile. " _Your Grace_ ," she politely finished.

As much as Elsa  _really_  wanted to both kiss Anna and maul Anders at that particular moment, she couldn't entirely blame him for the assumption. She hadn't bathed since leaving Arendelle, and she was wearing the same sleeveless shirt, trousers, and boots from when they were attacked by the pirates. She probably looked like she was fresh from the market.

Anders hastily collected himself. "My ugh…My apologies, princess." He glanced back at Elsa. "I meant no offense. I have never seen someone so…exotic. I only assumed—"

"Your prior statement made clear what you assumed," Anna bit back. "Lady Elsa is my bodyguard and a royal knight of Arendelle. It is the fault of your pirates that you would dare to make such an assumption."

The king's eyes widened. "Pirates?"

"Yes. My ship barely made it into port from the attack. Everyone on board my ship including myself would be dead if not for her. If you would be so kind as to remember that and not her  _exotic_  appearance like she so deserves, I would greatly appreciate it."

Anders said nothing as Anna continued.  _Smart choice_ , Elsa thought.

"You have my sincerest apologies, princess," the king said, though it sounded forced. "The laws and practices in our countries are very...different. I make the same assumptions on my guest as I do my own people, and that is my folly. The mistake will not be made again, I assure you."

Anna straightened her back, looking very much like a striking cobra though her features looked to be relaxing. "Thank you. And I'm afraid I will not be taking your offer to dine, King Anders. I am very tired from my journey and require nothing more than hot water for a bath and a meal brought to my room. I hope you will excuse my absence from dinner later tonight."

Anders puffed his chest and lowered his brow. He wanted to say something. That much was easy to see. "Very well," he gritted, his words dripping with something akin to venom. "I will make sure your ship is repaired." He gestured to the man standing behind him. "Merikh will show you to your room."

Anna smiled and curtsied, Elsa giving a shallow bow beside her and Kristoff somewhere behind her. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

 

* * *

 

The room was very spacious, as was expected. Though it did have a rather dull air to it since it was all stone. The only uplifting feature was the royal purple duvet and the broad window that overviewed the neighboring forest.

Kristoff was sent to his own quarters somewhere down the hall. Elsa would be sleeping with Anna in her room. It wasn't uncommon practice for monarchs and knights of the same sex to share a room when visiting allies. Though the practice was exclusively male since a female knight was unheard of.

They had only been there an hour and Elsa was already getting restless. A strange place in a strange land with people she didn't like wasn't exactly the most calming atmosphere.

Not to mention the unknown fate of Hans and wherever he was.

"I'm ugh…I'm going to walk around," Elsa said, getting up from the bed and heading to the door.

Anna shot up from her seat by the dresser. Her open suitcase tumbled off the whitewood. "What?! Nonononono." She strode to Elsa's side and bared the door with her body. "Not happening, blondie."

"I won't be gone long. Promise."

"I. Don't. Care." She glared up at the scowling blonde. "This is exactly why I didn't want you to come. You're going to get yourself killed doing something stupid."

"Out of the two of us, you really think  _I_ would do that?"

"Yes!"

Elsa rolled her eyes, rubbing her sore brow. "Anna, I came here to keep you safe. If anything happens, our only escape is out that window," she said, pointing at it. "It's at least a fifty foot drop. You can't run away if you have broken legs  _if_ you survive the fall. I'm just going to look for…alternatives. You don't know if we might need them."

Anna crossed her arms, leaning against the door. "What, so you're a scout now?"

"No." She gently grabbed Anna's upper arms. "I just want to make sure you're safe."

Anna sighed, closing her eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but fine. Go forth young soldier and scout the perimeter."

Elsa smiled. She kissed the forehead of the exasperated princess before opening the door. "As you command, my liege." She stepped out, smile not leaving her face as she looked down at Anna's pout. "I'll be back before you're done bathing."

"You better be."

Elsa closed the door with a small creak. And just like that, she began her cautious walk down the hall, memorizing her surroundings and the many sounds and smells that accompanied them. The decorations weren't that much different from Arendelle. Suites of armor, paintings, ornate rugs, tables carrying random bobbles—the whole nine yards. Except for wallpaper, of course.

The castle was seemingly endless. It felt like nearly an hour before Elsa found a window low enough to the ground that might serve as an escape route. It was one of those fancy ones with all the colors painted onto them like puzzle pieces to form a picture. In Arendelle they only had them in the building with the dress men and the bells. She was quite fond of them.

"You're quite a ways from your room, Lady Elsa."

Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around, crouched in preparation to defend herself. She was met with a smirk and a small pain in her eyes from the gleam of the newcomer's etched armor.

She looked over the ebony-haired man's figure. She didn't hear even the smallest scrape of metal from his approach, and yet he was donned in armor from throat to foot. This was the second time the king's knight had managed to surprise her. And  _nobody_  surprised her.

The man took a few steps forward. "Forgive me for sneaking up on you. I saw a figure in rags and thought an intruder. I suggest you change your dress next time you wander the hall, m'Lady, else you be found by someone who doesn't recognize you as part of the Arendelle party."

Elsa straightened up, her brow furrowed into a scowl.

The man tilted his head. "Though—if you pardon my asking—how is it that you can wear such clothing in this weather? My armor is padded with beaver fur and my cloak heavy with bear, and yet I yearn to sit next to the fire in my quarters."

Elsa pulled her cloak closer around her to hide herself, though it was too late. She glared at the man, wanting to snarl and scare him away like she could with all her enemies.

_His eyes._

Elsa stared curiously at the man's eyes. They were two different colors—one a green as dark as pine and the other a shade of freshly cut ice.

So she wasn't the only peculiar one in the castle.

The man noticed her stare and ducked his head to smile. Elsa didn't like that smile. It was like he was laughing at some inside joke she didn't understand.

"Please forgive my rudeness," he said, looking back at her with that same smirk. "I seem to have forgotten my manners. I hope you will forgive me for leaving your company prematurely, but I had other business to attend." He extended a gauntleted hand. "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I am Ser Coen, royal bodyguard to King Anders of the Southern Isles."

Elsa stared at him a moment longer before looking down at the gesture.

"I'm not going to kiss it if that's what you want."

Coen's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Um…no. I don't. You shake it." When Elsa still didn't move, he reached for her hand. "Like thi—"

Elsa backed away, her growl barely suppressed but her bared teeth and scowl clearly telling him to  _get away from her_.

The man grasped his extended hand into a fist before bringing it back to his side. He looked away for a handful of seconds before looking solemnly back at her. "Well…I seem to have overstepped my courtesy." He stiffly bowed. "M'Lady."

Elsa stared holes into his back as he retreated down the hall. His footsteps barely made a sound on the carpet.

What a strange man.

Maybe he really was just a shadow.

 

* * *

 

Elsa loved warm bathes more than life itself.

But not more than Anna, of course.

Though sitting in the large tub of steaming liquid almost made her question it.

The one thing she liked about the Southern Isles was that their tubs were the kind she could lay in with her arms and legs over the sides while her face remained partially submerged. It was heaven. Even when she morphed.

The silver tiger opened her maw in a wide yawn, almost asleep in the water. She probably should get out, though. She heard a crack in the porcelain a few minutes ago.

Reluctantly, the feline crawled out of the warm water, fur saturated with water and as heavy as lead. She stretched before shifting back to her human self. She would be doing that more often.

A towel dry and a change into a set of sleeping clothes later, Elsa emerged from the bathroom feeling ten pounds lighter without caked layers of dirt and sweat on her body. She stretched her arms over her head again, relishing the way her bones popped.

"Someone's happy." With her arms still over her head, Elsa opened one eye to find a pair of teal glancing at her middle where her shirt lifted from the stretch. And where her pants (lent by Kristoff) sagged at her waist.

Elsa smirked and folded her hands behind her head. "Like what you see?"

Anna rolled her eyes, though the effect of a chiseled body and midriff still shining in a light sheen of water vapor did not go unnoticed by her hormones. The blushing redhead shifted on her bed and stared at her plate. "Not now I'm eating."

"But isn't that what—"

" _Elsa_." The princess chanced another glance at the blonde. "This isn't the place for—"

Anna paused. Elsa was leaned over the dresser, picking up a familiar box. Though it was a little unrecognizable from its current state. The snowflakes were smeared out of recognition, and the ribbon was pulled out into a greasy knot.

Icy blues looked at her questioningly. "You didn't open it," she stated.

Anna looked away. "Not yet, no."

Elsa looked down at the small gift, turning it over in her hand before looking back up. "Do…Do you not want it?"

"Of course I want it, Elsa. I just don't want to open it until I give you yours."

Elsa put the box back on the white wood dresser. "Oh." She walked over and hopped in the bed, situating herself against the headboard. Anna handed her a plate from the nightstand. It was filled with meat and something green. Both smelled heavenly.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Gods, Elsa. The meat's already dead." Said blonde paused with fork in hand, ready to go for another stab. Cerulean eyes innocently blinked at her before jabbing the meat at a slower pace.

Anna picked up her wine and took a sip, mumbling under her breath. "One of these days I'm gonna have to teach you proper manners."

Elsa paused, her nostrils flaring slightly. She turned to Anna and her drink. "What's that?"

"Hm?" Anna managed through another swallow. "Oh. You won't like it. Trust me."

"Let me try it."

"No."

"But I wanna try it."

"It's disgusting. You won't like it."

"I can figure that out for myself, thank you."

"No."

" _Give it_."

Anna glanced at her blonde. Knowing Elsa, she would just grab it from her and spill half of it in the process. She was very adamant about trying human things. Well, human things that she  _wanted_  to try, anyways.

Anna's sigh of defeat was met with Elsa's grin when she handed over the glass. The blonde held it to her face and gave it a curious look over and sniff.

"There you go again, smelling everything. Can't you just drink it like a normal person?"

To her surprise, Elsa jerked the glass away like it was poisonous. Her face scrunched in disgust and she shoved it back into Anna's hands. "Holy hell!" she squeaked, coughing and rubbing furiously at her nose. Wide blue eyes stared terrified at the red liquid. "You  _drink_  that?!"

Anna lost it, wheezing and snorting and laughing till her abdomen burned. She couldn't help it. Of all things, Elsa was disgusted by  _wine_.

Her laughs died down and she took another swig before putting the glass back onto the nightstand. "You never cease to amuse me, Elsa."

Elsa leaned away from her. "Oh gods, your breath." She plugged her nose. "It smells like it."

Anna smiled and leaned towards the blonde the more she tried to get away. "Come on Elsie. Wanna kiss?"

Elsa pushed her face away with her free hand, the princess puckering her lips. "That's disgusting." She put her plate on the nightstand to avoid any ceramic causalities and surprised Anna by pulling her onto the bed, her face pressed against her chest in a hug.

" _Elsa_ ," Anna whined, trying to free her head and kiss the blonde.

She squeaked and bucked when one hand moved away to wiggle cold fingers against her exposed side. "No kisses till morning or I swear I'll tickle you till you cry," Elsa threatened, though her laughs inflected each of her words.

"Fine I give I give! Deal!"

Elsa released Anna's head, revealing a very pouty freckled face. Elsa kissed her brow and situated the redhead against her side like they usually slept.

"You're mean."

"You started it."

"Shut up." Anna buried her face in Elsa's side. "I want my kiss in the morning."

Elsa ran a hand through her hair, fingers catches her white streak. "Deal."

 

* * *

 

It was a while until Elsa finally fell to sleep.

She was thinking about Ska—her mother again.

She only really knew her for a small part of her life, but that didn't mean she stopped thinking about her. Here she was, sleeping in a castle with the woman she loved, safe and loved and protected. It felt like almost a crime for her to enjoy herself. To simply enjoy the ability to sit down and not worry about what would happen when night fell or where her next meal was coming from.

Her mother deserved this luxury, too.

Anna was the best catalyst against her sorrow. Her scent or even just her touch was enough to remind her that she was  _okay_  and  _safe_. That her actions were justified and that she made the right choice that day on the fjord. Even if it was just the lesser of two evils.

And eventually the blonde found peace and allowed her mind to drift into the comfortable compound of sleep.

Until she was woken up, of course.

The noise that woke her sounded like a rat scurrying around the room. She twitched in her sleep and rolled over, hugging Anna closer and willing herself back into unconsciousness.

"…nge…can…hat?...no…"

Elsa's eyes snapped open, alertness jolting her body awake like cold water.

_Footsteps. They're footsteps._

She stayed perfectly still, trying to hear where the intruder was before she got up. They sounded like they were at the edge of the bed.

Elsa slowly unwrapped Anna's hand from around her waist and sat up. The person—a man?—had his back to them. He looked more like a child judging from his size, his head barely reaching over the dresser. His skin was the darkest she had ever seen, topped with strangely curled auburn hair.

"…yes?...nuk…no…"

She slid out of bed without making a sound, crouched and ready to defend the redhead still peacefully sleeping.

The man shifted around the dresser, moving things and mumbling gibberish. It was only when his small hands found Anna's present that his gibberish turned into silent mutterings of urekia.

Elsa sucked in an angered breath. The man froze, body straightening and looking towards the door like a frightened rabbit. He was still for a long second before he turned around.

His eyes widened to saucers, and with a squeak, he bolted out the window, Anna's present in hand.

Elsa raced to the window and looked down, expecting to see a splat of tiny human on the ground below. Instead, the short man was scaling down the wall like a gecko.

 _No no no!_  She looked back at Anna before making up her mind.  _Dammit!_

She nimbly crawled down after the man, her larger body having a harder time keeping hold on the small leverage that the stones gave. She was only half-way down the wall when he reached the bottom and took off into the forest.

Elsa snarled in frustration. "This is gonna hurt." She jumped down and tried to roll out on the ground. The move was clumsy, but at least she didn't break anything. She took off after his scent trail as soon as she found her bearings.

It didn't take long to catch up to him. He may be a better climber, but she was a faster runner. The little man dodged trees and ran in pattern to try to get rid of her, but she had lived in the forest long enough to master something as simple as a run through the trees.

The treeline spaced out as the incline rose. The man was looking back every so often in terror before his little legs would pelt faster.

 _Enough!_  Elsa shifted into her tiger form, easily overtaking him. He squealed when she pounced, and they rolled several feet before she pinned him down. She snarled and roared in his face. The man screamed some more (and probably wet his pants), but still he would not let go of the gift.

Elsa roared again to try and frighten the man into given it up.

The last thing she expect was  _her roared to be answered_.

She looked up in surprise when something tackled her from her front. The single glimpse she got before they collided caught a picture of thick black stripes, fiery red fur, and brown eyes, all complete with a spitting snarl and outstretched claws.

Her surprise vanished when the rival tiger clawed at her belly and bit into her shoulder. Her instinct kicked in and she sunk her fangs into its arm and clawed at its face, chest—anything she could touch until it released her.

They both roared when they separated, trying to make themselves bigger than the other. Her rival began circling to her right, so she copied it until they were stalking each other in a wide circle.

Like a strike of lightening they reared on their hind legs and attacked. Elsa bloodied its chest with a few choice swipes but didn't notice it lunge for her until she was too late to react. She landed flailing on her back, powerful jaws clamping deep into her throat. She clawed and kicked at whatever she could reach, frantically trying to escape having her throat ripped open.

Desperate, she shifted back to her human self and shot a bolt of ice at the beast before it could crush her more vulnerable human neck. It roared in pain and was flung away from her.

She quickly found her footing, hands at the ready and humming with magic. The tiger circled her, snarling and twitching to attack.

Something whistled in the air, and Elsa suddenly found her back against a tree. She reached to her neck and felt metal, the horseshoe-shaped device nailing her against the bark.

She only got to tug at it once before black hair entered her vision. Then something hit the side of her face, and her world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Ahhh chapter 29 woohoooooooo **
> 
> ** -REKA **


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